LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
RIVERSIDE 


/ 


' PULL,  BOYS!  PULL!"  CRIED  THE  OFFICER,  "THERE  WAS  A  WOMAN  WITH 
HIM."     PAGE  385. 


BLENNERHASSETT 

OR 

THE  DECREES   OF  FATE 

A  ROMANCE 
Founded  Upon    Events  in  American  History 


"  Quincy  Adams  Sawyer  and  Mason's  Corner  Folks  " 
WITH    ILLUSTRATIONS    BY  CHARLES   H.   STEPHENS 


BOSTON 

C.   M.   Clark  Publishing  Company 
1901 


?  a 


COPYRIGHT,  1901,  BY 

Chas.    Felton   Pidgin, 

Boston,  Mass.,  U.  S.  A. 


ENTERED  AT  STATIONERS  HALL,  LONDON 
FOREIGN  COPYRIGHTS  SECURED 


RIGHTS  OF  TRANSLATION,  PUBLIC  READING,  AND  DRAMATIZATION  RESERVED 


PRBSSWORK  BY 
S.  J.  PARKHILL  &  Co.,  BOSTON,  U.  S.  A. 


TO   THE   MEMORY   OF 

Ubeofcosfa  JBurr  Hlston, 

THE   DAUGHTER  OF 

AARON    BURR, 

WHO,    IN    A    LETTER    TO    HER    FATHER,    WROTE! 

"  I  witness  your  extraordinary  fortitude  with  new  wonder 
at  every  new  misfortune.  Often,  after  reflecting  on  this  subject, 
you  appear  to  me  so  superior,  so  elevated  above  all  other  men, 
I  contemplate  you  with  such  a  strange  mixture  of  humility, 
admiration,  reverence,  love,  and  pride,  that  very  little  superstition 
would  be  necessary  to  make  me  worship  you  as  a  superior  being, 
such  enthusiasm  does  your  character  excite  in  me.  When  I  after 
ward  revert  to  myself,  how  insignificant  do  my  best  qualities 
appear.  My  vanity  would  be  greater  if  I  had  not  been  placed  so 
near  you ;  and  yet  my  pride  is  our  relationship.  I  had  rather  not 
live  than  not  be  the  daughter  of  such  a  man. " 

WHICH    WORDS    HAVE   RENDERED    HER   CONSPICUOUS 
AMONG    THE    WOMEN    OF    AMERICA    FOR    FILIAL    DEVOTION, 

THIS  BOOK 

IS   APPRECIATIVELY  INSCRIBED. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS ix 

AUTHOR'S    PREFACE xi 

Ube  prologue  ,  .  .  .  jFour  pictures 

CHAPTER  I 


A  DEN  OF  TREASON. 


CHAPTER  II 
A  SHRINE  OF  LIBERTY 10 

CHAPTER  III 
A  SOUTHERN  HOME ig 

CHAPTER  IV 
A  WESTERN  PARADISE 26 

Ube  Book  .  .  .  Great  flDen  ano  Ubefr  Beeos 

CHAPTER  V 
A  KNAVISH  PLOT 34 

CHAPTER  VI 
"  FIFTY  YEARS  AFTER  MY  DEATH  " 44 

CHAPTER  VII 
THE  CHALLENGE 55 

v 


vi  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  VIII 

PAGE 

HUMAN  TIGERS 67 

CHAPTER  IX 
LOVERS  AND  ENEMIES 78 

CHAPTER  X 
THE  FIELD  OF  HONOR 99 

CHAPTER  XI 
AFTER  THE  DUEL no 

CHAPTER  XII 
"  I  HAVE  NO  COUNTRY  " 125 

CHAPTER  XIII 
A  PRESIDENTIAL  STRATAGEM 133 

CHAPTER  XIV 
THE  FLY  AND  THE  WEB 138 

CHAPTER  XV 
A  PALACE  IN  THE  WOODS 147 

CHAPTER  XVI 
THE  ISLAND  BEAUTIFUL 161 

CHAPTER  XVII 
"  THE  SONG  OF  THE  DRUM  " 184 

CHAPTER  XVIII 
A  DREAM  OF  EMPIRE 194 

CHAPTER  XIX 
"  ALL  THE  MEN  AND  WOMEN  MERELY  PLAYERS  ". .  .   222 


CONTENTS  vii 

CHAPTER  XX 

PAGE 

AN   EAVESDROPPER 237 

CHAPTER  XXI 
"  A  DIVIDED  DUTY  "     248 

CHAPTER  XXII 
GUARDED  BY  THE  GREAT  SPIRIT 263 

CHAPTER  XXIII 
BETWEEN  THE  MILLSTONES 272 

CHAPTER  XXIV 

THE  MEANEST  MAN  IN  AMERICA 285 

CHAPTER  XXV 
THE  CITY  OF  LUTETIA 298 

CHAPTER  XXVI 
BY  COMMAND  OF  THE  EMPEROR 304 

CHAPTER  XXVII 
"  HOME  AGAIN  !   FROM  A  FOREIGN  SHORE  " 312 

CHAPTER  XXVIII 
As  IN  DAYS  OF  YORE 319 

CHAPTER  XXIX 
A  FATHER'S  LOVE 331 

CHAPTER  XXX 
AN  OLD  SLAVE'S  DEVOTION 353 

CHAPTER  XXXI 
FROM  ICY  BLASTS  TO  SUMMER  SKIES 359 


viii  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  XXXII 

PAGE 

CAPTAIN    THADDEUS 368 

CHAPTER  XXXIII 
"  TEACH  ME  TO  BE  A  GOOD  MAN  " 375 

CHAPTER  XXXIV 
LAST  DAYS 387 

CHAPTER  XXXV 
"  THE  PATHS  OF  GLORY  " 401 

£be  Epflo^ue  ....  /Masteries  'dnveilefc 

CHAPTER  XXXVI 
"  IN  THE  NAME  OF  AAEON  BURR  !  " 413 

CHAPTER  XXXVII 
JUSTUS  DANE'S  REMARKABLE  MANUSCRIPTS 418 

CHAPTER  XXXVIII 

How  THE  SEALED  PACKET  BECAME  MINE 425 

CHAPTER  XXXIX 
THE  CHAMPAGNE  BOTTLE 427 

CHAPTER  XL 
THE  WRECK  OF  THE  RAINBOW 433 

CHAPTER  XLI 
THE  DEATH  OF  THEODOSIA 435 

CHAPTER  XLII 
THE  IRONY  OF  FATE , 439 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

"  Pull,    Boys !     Pull ! "    cried    the    officer,    "  there    was    a 

woman  with  him "     .        .        .        ...        .        Frontispiece 

PAGE 
"  Can  I  bear  any  communication  from  you  to  my  friend, 

Colonel  Burr?" 76 

"  You  must  not  stay  here.  You  will  be  recognized  "  .  .  105 

"This  is  your  answer }" 221 

"  Aaron  Burr,  in  the  dress  of  a  Creek  Chief,  stepped  into  the 

center  of  the  council,  and  addressed  the  meeting  "  .  .  269 
"  Theodosia,"  said  he,  in  calm,  even  tones,  "  If  you  can  be 

firm  I  shall  be  glad  to  have  you  stay  with  me  "  .  .  281 

"  You  are  the  real  murderer  " 283 

"  The  Hero  of  Marengo,  Austerlitz,  and  Jena,  stood  before 

him " 308 

"  By  this  blow,  I  am  severed  from  the  human  race !  "  .  .  352 
"  As  the  Pirates  reached  the  deck,  Theodosia  grasped  a  cut- 

las" 366 

"  Because,  Theodosia,  I  love  you  " 380 

"  What  I  saw,  was  Little  Burr  here,  bearing  upon  his  back 

the  body  of  General  Montgomery  " 391 


ix 


AUTHOR'S   PREFACE 


FOR  a  hundred  years,  one  of  the  most  remarkable  of  Amer 
icans  has  borne  a  weight  of  obloquy  and  calumny  such  as 
has  been  heaped  upon  no  other  man,  and,  unlike  any  other 
man,  during  his  lifetime  he  never  by  voice  or  pen  made  answer 
to  charges  made  against  him,  or  presented  either  to  friends  or 
foes  any  argument  or  evidence  to  refute  them. 

The  American  public  makes  idols  o£  its  great  men;  but  when 
from  any  cause  those  great  men  fall  from  their  high  estates,  the 
American  public  has  no  mercy  for  its  fallen  heroes. 

I  will  not  speak  longer  in  general  terms,  of  uncertain  applica 
tion,  but  declare  at  once  that  the  remarkable  man  I  have  in  mind 
is  AARON  BURR:  a  man  who  fought  bravely  to  secure  the  inde 
pendence  of  the  Colonies ;  a  man  who  rose  to  the  highest  posi 
tion  at  the  bar,  and  who  was  offered  a  seat  upon  the  bench ;  a 
man  who  was  elected  to  the  highest  position  in  the  gift  of  the 
American  people,  and  who  filled  the  second  place  with  a  dignity 
and  grace  that  have  never  been  equalled;  a  man  who  revenged 
the  wrongs  inflicted  upon  him  during  a  period  of  thirty  years, 
on  the  fatal  field  at  Weehawken;  a  man  who  contemplated  a 
conquest,  and  who  was  tried  for  high  treason  by  the  members 
of  the  party  which  afterwards  carried  out  exactly  the  programme 
of  conquest  that  he  had  outlined ;  a  man  who  bore  his  downfall 
with  patience  and  dignity ;  a  man  whom  neither  political  perse 
cution,  nor  poverty,  nor  the  perfidy  of  his  friends  could  force 
to  speak  one  word  of  recrimination  or  complaint;  a  man  who 
bore  the  loss  of  daughter  and  grandson,  the  dearest  ties  that 
bound  him  to  the  human  race,  with  resignation;  a  man  who  for 
twenty-five  years  thereafter  toiled  en  without  complaint  to  sup 
ply  the  means  for  an  humble  living;  a  man  who,  although  he 
killed  his  foe  according  to  the  rules  of  the  code  of  honor  then 
in  force,  has  been  called  either  assassin  or  murderer  by  the 
makers  of  school-books,  thus  instilling  into  infant  minds  a  preju 
dice  which  only  research  and  study  in  after  years  could  effectu 
ally  remove. 

xi 


xii  AUTHOR'S  PREFACE 

For  twenty  years  I  have  read  about  this  man.  There  is  no 
American  about  whom  so  much  has  been  written,  and  within  the 
pages  of  a  book  like  this  I  can  only  hope  to  incorporate  its  spirit, 
for  the  substance  would  fill  volumes.  Where  the  statement  was 
one  of  fact,  fact  has  been  adhered  to.  Where  the  language  is 
imaginative  such  words  have  been  chosen  to  express  fiction  as 
seemed  to  conform  to  those  used  to  convey  fact;  in  other  words, 
if  the  characters  in  this  romance  did  not  do  the  things  or  say 
the  words  attributed  to  them,  from  what  they  did  do  or  say,  it 
seems  fair  and  proper  to  infer  that  they  would  have  done  or  said 
them  had  occasion  offered,  or  circumstances  been  propitious. 

The  men  of  America  to-day  are  more  tolerant,  broader-minded, 
and  less  bigoted  in  their  politics  than  they  were  a  century  ago. 
My  aim  has  been  to  present  Aaron  Burr  as  he  was  a  hundred 
years  ago,  and  to  ask  that  he  be  judged  by  the  rules  of  order  and 
society  then  existing;  but,  by  minds  free  from  the  intolerant 
political  and  religious  prejudices  which  blinded  the  eyes  and 
warped  the  judgments  of  his  contemporaneous  critics. 

The  diamond  gives  no  indication  of  its  worth  until  it  has  been 
ground  and  polished  and  set  in  a  manner  worthy  of  its  value. 
It  may  have  happened  in  the  past  that  some  of  our  public  men 
have  been  placed  in  settings  worthy  of  a  richer  jewel,  but  this 
surely  has  not  been  the  case  with  Aaron  Burr.  If  my  labors  of 
twenty  years  should  place  him  before  his  fellow  men  in  a  better 
light,  if,  while  regretting  and  condemning  his  faults,  they  obtain 
a  fuller  and  more  truthful  idea  of  his  virtues,  accomplishments, 
and  powers,  I  shall  feel  amply  rewarded. 

As  regards  the  statement  made  in  Chapter  XXXVII  (page 
421),  concerning  the  illegal  conjugal  relationship  of  Harman 
Blennerhassett  and  Margaret  Agnew,  I  desire  to  say  that  the 
fact  was  in  my  possession  long  before  the  completion  of  this 
volume.  As  stated,  however,  the  person  supplying  the  informa 
tion  exacted  a  promise  from  me  that  I  would  not  make  it  public 
unless  the  disclosure  was  first  made  by  some  member  of  the 
family.  Such  a  disclosure  having  appeared  in  a  recent  number 
of  a  periodical,  I  have  felt  that  the  ban  of  secrecy  was  thereby 
removed. 

C.  F.  P. 

NANTUCKET,  MASS., 
July,  1901. 


BLENNERHASSETT 


BLENNERHASSETT 

OR 

THE    DECREES     OF    FATE 


TTbe  prologue . . . .  df our  pictures 


CHAPTER  I 

A  DEN  OF  TREASON 

CC  ^"^VRDERLY,  present  my  compliments  to  Cap- 

1  1  tain  Claiborne,  and  say  to  him  that  I  wish 
^-^  to  see  him  immediately." 

The  messenger  saluted  and  withdrew. 

The  speaker  was  a  man,  apparently  about  forty-five 
years  of  age,  who  sat  at  a  large  table.  He  was  attired 
in  the  undress  uniform  of  a  general  in  the  army  of  the 
United  States,  and  had  evidently  been  engaged  for  a 
long  time  in  writing  letters,  for  many  closely-written 
sheets  lay  upon  the  table  before  him. 

The  time  was  one  of  the  earlier  years  in  the  last  cen 
tury.  The  place  was  a  rude  fort  which  stood  upon  the 
eastern  bank  of  the  Father  of  Waters,  in  what  was  then 
called  the  Mississippi  Territory. 

The  fortification  was  in  reality  nothing  more  than  a 
stockade  roughly  built  of  logs.  It  might  have  served 
well  as  a  means  of  defense  in  case  of  an  attack  by  In- 


2  BLENNERHASSETTT 

dians,  but  could  have  made  only  a  short  resistance  if  sub 
jected  to  the  fire  of  modern  ordnance,  considering  as 
modern  what  was  in  use  a  century  ago. 

In  the  centre  of  the  area  enclosed  by  the  stockade, 
stood  a  log-house  one  story  in  height,  containing  two 
rooms.  Each  of  these  rooms  had  two  windows  with 
the  small  panes  of  glass  in  use  at  that  time. 

The  door  opened  and  Captain  Claiborne  entered.  He 
saluted  his  superior  officer,  and,  as  the  latter  motioned 
to  him  to  take  a  chair  beside  him  he  said,  "  Good  morn 
ing,  General.  I  am  at  your  service." 

The  term  "  General  "  was  not  misapplied,  for  the 
person  so  addressed  was  General  James  Wilkinson, 
the  commander-in-chief  of  the  army  of  the  United 
States. 

"  I  am  going  to  ask  you,"  began  the  General,  "  a 
question  of  a  somewhat  delicate  nature.  I  trust  you 
will  not  be  offended,  but  if  the  proposed  inquiry  touches 
your  private  affairs  too  closely,  I  shall  not  be  offended 
if  you  decline  to  answer." 

The  Captain  looked  up  with  an  inquiring  expression 
upon  his  face.  As  the  General  did  not  proceed,  he 
finally  said,  "  You  pique  my  curiosity,  General." 

"  As  you  do  not  forbid  the  inquiry,"  remarked  the 
General,  "  I  shall  consider  your  somewhat  vague  re 
mark  as  permission  to  proceed." 

The  Captain  gave  a  slight  nod,  but  said  nothing. 

"  My  dear  Captain,  how  are  you  situated  financially  ? 
In  other  words,  does  your  pay  enable  you  to  live  as  you 
would  like  to  live?  " 

"  Far  from  it,"  answered  the  Captain.  "  To  make 
you  understand  my  position  fully,  I  must  explain.  I 
am  an  only  son,  and  my  father,  who  was  a  cotton 
planter,  supposed  that  I  would  succeed  him  in  the  man 
agement  of  the  estate,  but  I  took  no  interest  in  tilling 
the  soil  and  thrashing  negroes,  and  spent  most  of  my 
time  until  I  was  of  age  in  horse-back  riding  and  in  pay- 


A  DEN  OF  TREASON  3 

ing  attentions  to  the  young  ladies  in  the  vicinity.  My 
father,  finding  that  I  was  to  be  of  no  practical  benefit 
to  him,  engaged  an  overseer,  and  I  determined  to  enter 
the  army.  Within  the  past  few  years,  the  estate  has 
become  unproductive  and  I  have  been  obliged  to  send 
home  the  greater  part  of  my  pay  to  support  my  father 
and  mother,  for,  despite  my  other  faults,  I  am  not  lack 
ing  in  filial  devotion." 

"  I  am  much  interested  in  your  recital,"  remarked 
the  General. 

The  Captain  continued,  "  To  add  to  my  burden  my 
only  sister,  whom  we  all  supposed  was  most  advanta 
geously  married,  lost  her  husband,  and  about  a  year  ago 
returned  home  with  her  child,  and,  of  course,  her  sup 
port  has  devolved  upon  me." 

"  How  little  the  world  knows,"  said  the  General, 
"  about  its  modest  heroes  who  bear  such  burdens  un 
complainingly  and  show  no  envy  towards  those  who 
are  more  fortunately  situated  from  a  worldly  point 
of  view." 

The  Captain  bowed  to  show  his  appreciation  of  the 
implied  compliment. 

"  The  story  that  you  have  told  me,"  said  the  General, 
"  renders  it  easy  for  me  to  make  a  proposition  to  you. 
I  should'  not  have  felt  warranted  in  doing  so  if  your 
financial  situation  was  of  a  more  satisfactory  nature. 
The  fact  is.  Captain,"  and  his  voice  sank  almost  to  a 
whisper,  "  I  am  not  above  making  a  little  money  my 
self  outside  of  the  meagre  compensation  which  I  receive 
from  our  respected  and  honored  Government.  I  am 
interested  in  some  tobacco  plantations  in  Kentucky,  but, 
as  you  know,  the  fact  that  the  Spanish  control  the 
mouth  of  the  Mississippi  has  prevented  our  planters 
from  securing  a  ready  market  for  their  products  with 
out  paying  an  exorbitant  customs  duty  to  the  Spanish 
authorities.  But  on  account  of  the  position  that  I  hold," 
and  at  this  point  he  assumed  a  still  more  confidential 


4  BLENNERHASSETT 

manner,  "  I  have  been  able  to  make  arrangements  with 
the  Spanish  Governor  of  Louisiana  by  which  the  boats 
loaded  with  my  produce  are  allowed  to  go  down  to  New 
Orleans  on  payment  of  a  merely  nominal  duty." 

Captain  Claiborne  was  much  interested  in  this  dis 
closure,  but  he  did  not  think  it  best  to  manifest  his 
interest  openly.  The  part  that  he  was  to  play  in  this 
transaction  had  not  been  disclosed  to  him  and  he 
thought  that  his  best  course  was  to  await  further  devel 
opments. 

They  soon  came.  "  Of  course,"  continued  the  Gen 
eral,  "it  is  impossible  for  me  to  go  to  New  Orleans 
with  these  boats,  which  will  reach  here  within  the  next 
twenty-four  hours,  and  transact  the  necessary  business 
with  the  Spanish  authorities.  I  must  have  some  one  to 
act  in  my  stead;  that  person  must  be  one  whom  I  can 
trust  implicitly.  He  must  have  both  assurance  and 
tact  and  must  transact  the  business  in  such  a  way  as 
to  divert  all  suspicion  from  me.  To  such  a  person,  if 
he  can  be  found,  I  am  willing  to  pay  three  per  cent  of 
the  price  received  for  the  produce  and  bear  all  his  travel 
ing  expenses." 

"  I  will  not  ask  you  to  speak  more  plainly,  General," 
said  Captain  Claiborne.  "  If  performing  this  service 
for  you  will  not  compromise  my  position  in  the  army, 
as  I  said  when  I  came  in,  I  am  at  your  service." 

The  General  smiled.  "  I  thought  I  was  a  good  judge 
of  human  nature,  Captain,  and  I  find  that  I  have  not 
been  mistaken  in  you.  I  am  going  to  write  a  letter 
of  introduction  to  Governor  Miro,  which  you  can  take 
with  you,  and,  by  the  way,  Claiborne,  if  you  can  induce 
the  Governor  to  reduce  the  duty  from  fifteen  to  ten 
per  cent  I  will  give  you  one-half  of  the  abatement." 

"  I  will  do  my  best,"  responded  the  Captain. 

He  thought  for  a  moment,  and,  looking  up  suddenly, 
exclaimed,  "  What  would  the  President  say  if  he  knew 
about  this  business  of  ours  ?  " 


A  DEN  OF  TREASON  5 

That  he  was  disposed  to  be  a  willing  tool  of  his 
superior  officer  in  his  commercial  ventures  will  be 
readily  inferred  from  the  promptness  with  which  he 
spoke  of  the  proposed  venture  as  "  ours." 

"  Oh,  I  am  all  right  with  the  President,"  said  the 
General.  "  I  understand  Jefferson  and  he  understands 
me.  I  think  he  is  the  right  man  in  the  right  place,  and 
I  have  reason  to  believe  that  he  has  the  same  opinion 
of  your  humble  servant." 

"  I  never  took  any  interest  in  politics,"  remarked 
Captain  Claiborne.  "  I  voted  for  Jefferson,  because, 
naturally,  following  the  teachings  of  my  father,  I  never 
had  much  sympathy  with  the  political  sentiments  which 
are  uppermost  in  the  New  England  States." 

"  Jefferson  is  all  right,"  remarked  the  General.  "  His 
great  political  principle  is  to  secure  all  possible  rights 
to  the  common  people.  Hamilton  and  his  sympathizers 
worship  a  lord  or  anything  that  looks  like  one,  while 
Jefferson  and  his  followers  adore  the  Man — the  ordin 
ary,  common  man.  Jefferson  has  engraven  on  his  watch 
seal  the  same  inscription  that  Oliver  Cromwell  had  on 
his — '  Resistance  to  tyrants  is  obedience  to  God,'  but 
I  think,"  continued  the  General  with  a  laugh,  "  his 
tory  shows  that  obedience  to  tyrants  is  usually  more 
profitable  than  resistance." 

"  You  will  excuse  my  ignorance,"  remarked  the 
Captain,  "  but  did  the  President  take  a  prominent  part 
in  the  Revolution  ?  " 

"  In  some  ways,  yes,"  replied  the  General.  "  He 
formed  the  committee  of  correspondence — that  is,  the 
leading  men  in  the  thirteen  colonies  wrote  letters  to  each 
other,  advising  resistance  to  British  rule.  Then  Jeffer 
son  printed  a  pamphlet  defending  the  inalienable  rights 
of  British  subjects,  which  so  incensed  the  royal  gov 
ernor,  Lord  Dunmore,  that  he  tried  to  arrest  him, 
swearing  that  if  he  got  hold  of  him  he  would  hang  him 
to  the  nearest  tree,  but  the  to-be  rebellious  colonists  did 


6  BLENNERHASSETT 

not  pay  much  attention  to  British  threats  in  those 
days. 

"  Of  course  you  know,"  continued  the  General,  "  that 
Jefferson  was  chairman  of  the  committee  which  drew  up 
the  Declaration  of  Independence.  From  that  time  to 
this  the  United  States,  has  showered  its  favors  thick 
upon  him.  He  was  first  a  member  of  Congress,  then 
Secretary  of  State  under  Washington.  Of  course  they 
did  not  agree,  for  Federalists  and  Democratic-Repub 
licans  won't  mingle  any  more  than  oil  and  water. 

"  While  minister  to  France,  he  was  supposed  to  have 
imbibed  ultra-French  Jacobin  principles.  The  northern 
people,  especially  those  of  New  England,  anticipated 
that  all  the  horrors  of  the  French  Revolution  would 
be  revived  in  this  country  if  Jefferson  were  elected 
President,  but  so  far,  I  think,  he  has  gone  on  in  a  very 
conservative  way  and  has  shown  particularly  good  judg 
ment  in  the  selection  of  his  subordinates." 

As  he  said  this,  Captain  Claiborne  averted  his  face  to 
hide  a  smile. 

The  General  ruminated  for  a  moment,  then  he  con 
tinued,  "  Jefferson  was  never  a  fighter.  I  had  almost 
forgotten  to  tell  you  that  when  he  was  Governor  of 
Virginia  the  notorious  Colonel  Tarleton  gave  him  little 
official  ease.  He  was  driven  from  pillar  to  post  and 
narrowly  escaped  capture  on  several  occasions.  He 
was  Vice-President  with  that  irascible  old  Federalist, 
John  Adams,  and  from  all  I  hear,  the  two  had  a  cat 
and  dog  life  until  the  choleric  old  Massachusetts  poli 
tician  was  defeated  in  1800." 

"  I  am  much  obliged  to  you,"  said  Captain  Claiborne, 
"  for  so  much  interesting  information  concerning  the 
gentleman  whose  favorable  opinion  of  our  services  is 
of  so  much  importance  to  us." 

As  he  said  this,  he  arose  and  walked  towards  the 
door. 

"  I  expect  the  boats  to-morrow,"  remarked  the  Gen- 


A  DEN  OF  TREASON  7 

eral.  "  In  the  meantime,  I  will  prepare  your  letter  of 
introduction  and  full  instructions." 

Both  officers  saluted,  and  a  moment  later  the  General 
was  alone. 

He  took  up  his  quill  and  wrote  steadily  for  a  long 
time,  throwing  the  sheets  to  one  side  as  he  rapidly 
finished 'them.  Upon  the  last  of  these  the  ink  was  not 
dry,  so  he  took  the  sand-box  and  carefully  sprinkled 
those  that  were  still  wet.  His  task  completed,  he  sat 
back  in  his  chair,  dropped  his  head  upon  his  hand,  and 
remained  for  a  long  time  in  deep  thought.  Then  he 
took  up  the  letters  one  at  a  time  and  ran  them  over 
hastily. 

The  first  was  to  a  Mr.  John  Graham,  who,  it  ap 
peared  from  the  language  used  in  the  letter,  was  a 
confidential  agent  of  the  United  States  government, 
engaged  upon  secret  service,  and  who  made  his  reports 
directly  to  the  President. 

Mr.  Graham  was  requested  to  inform  the  President 
that  the  writer  was  confident  matters  were  progressing 
in  a  way  that  would  be  entirely  satisfactory  to  the  chief 
executive.  He  was  using  his  influence  to  prevent  the 
intriguing  agents  of  Spain  from  making  any  headway 
in  their  efforts  to  induce  the  citizens  of  Kentucky  and 
Tennessee  to  refuse  to  join  the  American  Union,  and, 
instead,  to  cast  their  fortunes  with  New  Spain.  On 
the  other  hand,  he  was  presenting  a  strong  intimation 
of  military  preparations  to  the  Spanish  Governor  of 
Louisiana  and  was  assuring  him  that  the  present  situa 
tion  could  not  long  continue;  and  that  Spain  would 
eventually  be  obliged  to  open  the  Mississippi  River  to 
free  navigation. 

To  two  persons  in  Kentucky,  evidently  friends  from 
the  familiar  manner  in  which  they  were  addressed,  he 
wrote  in  a  somewhat  different  strain.  In  these  letters 
the  gentlemen  were  informed  that  everything  was  pro 
gressing  as  they  wished;  that  the  Spanish  governor 


8  BLENNERHASSETT 

would  grant  concessions  to  a  few  representative  men  in 
Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  which  would  allow  them  to 
send  their  produce  to  New  Orleans  on  payment  of  a 
moderate  duty.  As  soon  as  it  was  generally  known 
throughout  these  States  that  such  privileges  could  be 
obtained,  it  would  undoubtedly  lead  these  parties  to 
see  that  their  commercial  interests  and  future  prosperity 
depended  upon  an  alliance  with  Spain  rather  than  with 
the  States  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  mountains. 
"  Everything  goes  well,"  said  he,  "  Governor  Miro 
and  myself  understand  each  other  perfectly.  ' 

The  fourth  letter  was  to  the  Spanish  Governor  of 
Louisiana,  whose  name  was  Miro.  It  informed  that 
gentleman  that  affairs  were  coming  to  a  climax  in 
Kentucky  and  Tennessee;  that  every  day  was  raising 
up  new  advocates  for  a  union  with  Spain,  for  his 
friends  could  see  that  their  future  prosperity  depended 
upon  such  an  alliance.  The  writer  took  occasion  in 
the  course  of  his  letter  to  state  that  His  Catholic 
Majesty,  King  of  Spain,  had  no  more  devoted  adherent 
than  himself,  but  he  incidentally  remarked  that  at  the 
present  time  he  was  somewhat  embarrassed  financially 
and  that  he  trusted  the  quarterly  compensation  of  five 
hundred  dollars  allowed  him  by  His  Majesty  for  ser 
vices  rendered  would  soon  be  forthcoming,  as  it  was 
now  long  overdue.  He  added  that  this  letter  would  be 
delivered  by  one  of  his  staff,  who  would  be  in  charge 
of  some  boats  containing  tobacco  that  he  had  purchased 
on  credit.  It  would  be  evident,  of  course,  he  continued, 
to  the  Governor,  that  a  low  rate  of  duty  on  the  same 
would  help  him  financially,  and  he  trusted  that  the 
Governor  would  give  his  representative  every  possible 
opportunity  to  dispose  of  the  cargo  and  return  with 
the  proceeds  at  the  earliest  possible  moment. 

It  is  evident  from  a  perusal  of  the  letters  referred  to, 
that  General  Wilkinson  was  serving  two  masters,  was 
paid  by  both  and  was  faithless  to  each.  The  contents 


A  DEN  OF  TREASON  9 

indicated  a  strange  condition  of  military  and  political 
affairs  in  the  United  States  in  the  early  part  of  the 
nineteenth  century,  for  the  general  in  command  of  its 
army  is  found  to  be  engaged  in  a  treasonable  corre 
spondence  and  at  the  same  time  sends  one  of  his  officers 
as  an  emissary  to  carry  out  a  part  of  his  treasonable 
plot 


CHAPTER  II 

A  SHRINE  OF  LIBERTY 

THE  light  from  the  great  candelabrum  fell  upon 
the  wine  in  the  glass  and  cast  a  blood-red 
shadow  upon  the  damask  tablecloth  beneath. 

The  wineglass  was  lifted  high  above  his  head  and 
the  holder  uttered  in  French  the  sentiment,  "  To  the 
memory  of  those  brave  Frenchmen  who  died  in  de 
fence  of  liberty,  and  to  secure  the  preservation  of  hu 
man  rights." 

As  those  words,  spoken  in  an  impassioned  manner, 
fell  from  the  lips  of  the  speaker,  his  hearers  arose  to 
their  feet  with  one  accord  and  the  toast  was  drunk 
standing.  The  guests  resumed  their  seats.  The  gentle 
man  who  responded  to  the  toast  also  spoke  in  French, 
and  gave  a  dramatic  recital  of  those  terrible  events, 
which,  some  years  before,  had  taken  place  in  the  fair 
land  of  France  and  had  been  followed  by  that  Reign 
of  Terror,  at  the  contemplation  of  which  the  whole 
civilized  world  had  stood  aghast.  The  sentiments  of 
the  after-dinner  orator  were  loudly  applauded  and  it 
was  evident  that  the  minds  of  his  auditors  were  in  full 
accord  with  the  sentiments  which  he  expressed.  But  to 
this  apparent  unanimity  there  was  one  notable  excep 
tion.  A  gentleman  who  sat  at  the  right  hand  of  the 
host  had  not  arisen  when  the  toast  was  proposed,  and 
the  wine  remained  untasted  in  his  glass. 

The  occasion  was  a  merry  dinner  party  given  by  the 
owner  of  the  old  colonial  mansion,  known  as  Richmond 
Hill,  to  some  of  his  New  York  friends  and  to  some 


A  SHRINE  OF  LIBERTT         u 

visitors  from  France  who  were  his  guests  while  in  this 
country. 

At  the  head  of  the  table  sat  a  man  small  in  stature 
and  slight  in  figure,  but  with  a  face  finely  cut  and 
almost  classic  in  its  mold.  From  beneath  his  eyebrows 
gleamed  a  pair  of  remarkable  eyes :  one  moment  bright 
and  piercing;  the  next,  influenced  by  sympathy,  full  of 
a  deep  and  tender  light.  No  matter  how  they  might 
look  at  the  beholder,  the  latter  could  not  but  acknowl 
edge  their  beauty,  and  ineffectually  try  to  withstand 
the  fire  or  charm  of  them.  His  hair,  brushed  back 
ward,  disclosing  a  very  wide  forehead,  was  shaped  at 
the  back  into  a  -peruke^  His  coat,  cut  in  the  fashion 
of  a  century  ago,  was  of  black  velvet,  as  was  also 
his  long  waistcoat  above  which  was  seen  a  ruffled  shirt- 
front,  while  similar  ruffles  adorned  the  wrists.  The 
knee-breeches  were  also  of  black  velvet,  the  stockings 
of  black  silk,  while  upon  the  tops  of  his  low  shoes  he 
wore  the  silver  buckles  which  were  considered  so  ap 
propriate  and  fashionable  by  our  ancestors. 

At  the  other  end  of  the  table,  placed  in  an  armchair, 
could  be  seen  a  portrait  of  a  young  and  beautiful 
woman,  the  daughter  of  the  house.  One  could  easily 
infer  from  this  that  the  one  of  whom  it  was  a  counter 
feit  presentment  was  unable  to  be  present,  and  that 
the  father  had  placed  it  there  so  that  he  could  look 
upon  the  picture  if  not  upon  the  face  he  loved  so 
well. 

The  host  was  Aaron  Burr,  Vice-President  of  the 
United  States.  The  oil  painting  was  that  of  his 
daughter  Theodosia,  wife  of  Joseph  Alston  of  South 
Carolina,  destined  at  a  future  day  to  become  governor 
of  that  State. 

Toast  after  toast  was  proposed  and  each  was  followed 
by^an  appropriate  speech. 

>T  The  conversation    during    the    enjoyment    of    the 
sumptuous  repast  which  had  preceded  the  time  devoted 


12  BLENNERHASSETT 

to  toasts  and  speechmaking  was  largely  in  French; 
spirited,  bright,  witty  one  moment,  scientific  the  next, 
touching  upon  literary  matters,  then  upon  music  or 
art,  and  then  suddenly  descending,  or  rising,  into 


It  was  midnight  before  the  convivial  party  dispersed 
to  their  homes,  carrying  with  them  pleasant  memories 
of  a  most  enjoyable  evening. 

Colonel  Burr,  after  their  departure,  invited  his 
guests  from  France,  Colonel  DeVigny  and  M.  Ro- 
maine,  to  accompany  him  to  his  library.  There  cor 
dials,  eau-de-vie,  and  cigars  were  served,  and  con 
versation  was  prolonged  far  into  the  morning  hours. 

'''  You  have  a  fine  estate  here,  Colonel  Burr,"  said 
Colonel  DeVigny.  "  I  notice  that  your  grounds  are 
splendidly  laid  out,  and  the  river  view  is  magnificent." 

'  Yes,"  assented  Burr;  "yes,  before  I  had  sufficient 
money  to  buy  it  I  used  to  come  and  look  at  it,  and 
wonder  whether  I  should  ever  become  wealthy  enough 
to  own  it." 

"  Such  a  house  must  have  an  interesting  history  con 
nected  with  it,"  remarked  M.  Romaine.  "  I  should 
be  delighted  to  hear  them,  if  you  can  give  us  the  par 
ticulars." 

"  In  order  that  you  may  fully  understand,"  replied 
Burr,  "  I  must  go  back  quite  a  period  of  time. 

"  In  the  days  of  old  New  York,  in  what  was  then 
the  centre  of  the  city,  near  which  Canal  Street  is  now 
located,  was  a  large  fresh-water  pond.  At  certain  sea 
sons  of  the  year  this  pond  became  stagnant  and  the 
effluvia  which  arose  therefrom  caused  much  annoyance 
to  those  living-  near  the  pond  and  much  sickness  in 
their  families. 

"  Finally,  Peter  Rutgers  offered  to  fill  in  the  pond  if 
the  city  would  give  him  the  land  covered  with  water, 
amounting  to  about  seventy  acres.  This  was  agreed 
to.  Rutgers  never  derived  any  pecuniary  benefit  from 


A  SHRINE  OF  LIBERTY         13 

this  transaction,  but  from  it  a  great  fortune  fell  to 
Leonard  Lispenard,  who,  later,  married  his  daughter." 

"  M.  Rutgers  was  fortunate  in  having  a  daughter 
so  as  to  keep  the  money  in  the  family,"  remarked  Col 
onel  DeVigny. 

Colonel  Burr  smiled,  and  continued :  "  The  land  that 
had  been  filled  in  was  known  as  the  Lispenard  Meadows. 
On  the  western  side,  near  the  Hudson  River,  were 
two  small  elevations  or  hills  on  one  of  which  this 
house  was  erected."  Burr  lighted  a  fresh  cigar,  then 
continued  his  story. 

"  During  the  siege  of  New  York  by  the  British,  in 
1776,  General  Washington  made  this  house  his  head 
quarters.  Near  the  river,  on  what  is  now  a  part  of  this 
estate,  stood  a  public  house  kept  by  an  Englishman, 
who  was  allowed  to  continue  his  business  under  strict 
surveillance  by  the  military  guard.  Despite  their  vigi 
lance  a  plot  was  hatched  there,  having  for  its  object  the 
abduction  of  General  Washington,  it  being  the  opinion 
of  the  British  military  authorities  that  with  his  capture 
the  Rebellion  would  fall  to  pieces." 

"  And  how  was  the  plot  frustrated?  "  cried  M.  Ro- 
maine,  evidently  greatly  interested. 

"  By  a  peculiar  chain  of  circumstances,"  Burr  re 
sponded.  "  I  was  aide-de-camp  on  the  staff  of  General 
Israel  Putnam,  whose  headquarters  were  located  at  No. 
i  Broadway  in  this  city.  A  young  English  girl,  not 
more  than  fourteen  years  of  age,  named  Margaret 
Moncrieffe,  the  daughter  of  a  British  colonel,  was  held 
by  us  as  hostage  and  was  ordered  by  General  Wash 
ington  to  reside  in  General  Putnam's  family.  I  became 
convinced  that  she  was  conveying  intelligence  to  the 
enemy  and  I  wrote  a  letter  to  General  Washington 
informing  him  of  my  suspicions.  By  his  orders,  she 
was  at  once  sent  out  of  the  city.  The  chain  of  circum 
stances  was  followed  up  and  it  was  discovered  that  the 
mayor  of  the  city,  who  was  a  Tory,  and  Governor 


i4  BLENNERHASSETT 

Tryon,  the  British  commander,  who  made  his  head 
quarters  on  board  the  Duchess  of  Gordon,  a  British 
man-of-war  lying  below  here  in  the  river,  were  impli 
cated  in  the  plot." 

"  And  were  you  publicly  thanked  by  the  commander- 
in-chief  ?  "  asked  DeVigny. 

"  Not  by  name,"  said  Burr,  somewhat  abruptly,  and 
he  thought  of  the  manner  in  which  his  name' had  been 
coupled  with  that  of  the  young  lady  in  question. 

Without  waiting  for  further  inquiries  upon  that 
point,  he  resumed  his  story. 

"  It  was  in  this  house  that  John  Adams  resided  while 
he  was  Vice-President  of  the  United  States.  From  that 
time  until  I  purchased  it  I  am  not  acquainted  with 
the  names  or  social  position  of  its  occupants." 

"  We  are  much  indebted  to  you  for  this  interesting 
knowledge,"  said  M.  Romaine,  and  Colonel  Burr  as 
sured  his  guests  that  it  had  been  a  pleasure  to  supply 
the  information. 

"  But  who  was  that  gentleman,"  asked  Colonel  De 
Vigny,  "  who  left  his  wine  untasted  and  who  evidently 
found  our  sentiments  of  sympathy  with  the  French 
Republic  incompatible  with  those  maintained  by  him 
self?" 

"  That  was  General  Alexander  Hamilton,  one  of  our 
great  political  leaders,  and  a  prominent  member  of  the 
New  York  bar,"  Burr  responded. 

"  What  kind  of  man  is  he?  "  inquired  M.  Romaine. 
"  I  mean,  is  he  American  born  or  is  he  an  Englishman 
who  has  made  this  his  adopted  country  ?  " 

"  You  have  hit  very  near  the  truth,"  Burr  replied. 
"  I  make  it  a  rule  not  to  speak  to  my  own  countrymen 
about  my  political  opponents  or  legal  antagonists,  but, 
as  you  are  strangers  here,  I  will  make  an  exception  in 
your  case,  only  premising  that  the  gentleman  concern 
ing  whom  you-  have  inquired  is  my  most  determined 
opponent  both  in  politics  and  at  the  bar." 


A  SHRINE  OF  LIBERTT         15 

"  Pray  excuse  us,"  said  DeVigny,  "  for  touching 
upon  so  personal  a  matter.  M.  Romaine  will  join  me, 
I  know,  in  absolving  you  from  the  necessity  of  a 
reply." 

"  I  shall  only  tell  you  the  good  that  I  know  of  him," 
replied  Burr.  "  What  I  know  to  his  detriment  I  shall 
not  tell  you,  for  I  have  no  right  to  make  you  parties  in 
my  personal  quarrels." 

"  I  shall  be  greatly  pleased,"  said  M.  Romaine,  "  if 
you  will  tell  us  about  this  man.  We  have  heard  of 
him  in  France.  We  saw  how  he  acted  last  evening 
when  that  toast  was  proposed.  Our  previous  opinion 
of  him,  and  his  action,  are  of  the  same  nature." 

"  I  will  answer  your  question,"  began  Colonel  Burr, 
"  in  relation  to  General  Hamilton's  birthplace  by  saying 
that  he  was  born  in  the  British  West  Indies.  It  is 
said  that  his  mother,  who  was  of  French  extraction, 
married  a  Danish  gentleman  to  please  her  family;  but 
the  union  was  not  a  happy  one  and  they  separated. 
She  afterwards  became  the  wife  of  a  native  of  Scot 
land  named  David  Hamilton." 

"  She  was  divorced  from  her  first  husband?  "  asked 
M.  Romaine. 

"  I  do  not  know,"  replied  Colonel  Burr,  "  but  if  she 
were  not,  I  do  not  think  that  the  fact  should  be  used 
to  the  detriment  of  General  Hamilton." 

This  politely  worded  but  decided  rebuff  was  evidently 
felt  by  both  of  his  guests. 

Burr  continued :  "  When  very  young,  Hamilton  was 
sent  by  some  of  his  friends  in  the  Island  of  St.  Christo 
pher  to  the  United  States  to  obtain  an  education,  they 
defraying  his  expenses.  His  sympathies  were  quickly 
aroused  in  favor  of  the  struggling  colonists  and  at  the 
age  of  seventeen,  as  the  story  goes,  he  delivered  a 
patriotic  speech  in  this  city  which  attracted  great  at 
tention  and  was  afterwards  printed  and  circulated 
throughout  the  colonies." 


1 6  BLENNERHASSETT 

"  Mr.  Hamilton  is  much  older  than  you  are,  is  he 
not  ?  "  inquired  DeVigny. 

"  Oh,  no,"  Burr  replied.  "  He  is  about  a  year 
younger  than  I  am.  We  were  about  the  same  age  when 
we  entered  the  Continental  army,  but  I  went  with 
General  Benedict  Arnold  to  attempt  the  capture  of 
Quebec,  while  Hamilton,  who  had  attracted  the  atten 
tion  of  General  Washington,  was  made  aide-de-camp 
on  his  staff." 

"  I  presume  you  are  not  military  rivals,"  said  Col 
onel  DeVigny. 

"  He  had  the  ear  of  the  commander-in-chief,  an  ad 
vantage  which  I  did  not  possess,"  said  Burr  simply. 

Then  he  went  on.  "  I  presume  General  Hamilton 
would  allow  that  he  rendered  greater  service  to  his 
adopted  country  by  his  pen  and  his  voice  than  by  his 
sword,  but  I  know  it  should  be  said  in  justice  to  him 
that  he  would  gladly  have  exchanged  his  duties  as  a 
military  clerk  for  active  service  in  the  field." 

"  How  did  he  obtain  his  title  of  General?"  queried 
M.  Romaine. 

"  He  had  a  slight  personal  misunderstanding  with 
General  Washington,"  said  Burr,  "  and  resigned  his 
position.  He  returned  to  New  York  and  married  a 
Miss  Schuyler,  thus  becoming  connected  with  one  of 
the  oldest,  wealthiest,  and  most  influential  families  in 
the  State.  Just  before  the  final  campaign  in  Virginia, 
Washington  gave  him  an  independent  command  and 
he  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Yorktown,  where  by 
the  aid  of  our  French  brothers-in-arms  we  broke  the 
English  power  and  secured  the  independence  of  the 
colonies." 

"  But  his  public  service  did  not  end  with  the  army  ?  " 
asked  Colonel  DeVigny. 

"  By  no  means,"  replied  Burr.  "  He  took  a  very 
prominent  part  in  the  formation  of  the  Constitution 
under  the  provisions  of  which  our  present  government 


A  SHRINE  OF  LIBERTT         17 

is  conducted.  The  Constitution  as  adopted,  however, 
as  he  has  said  many  times  in  public  and  in  his  writings, 
was  not  what  he  desired.  He  wished  to  make  our 
government  a  strong  one  like  that  of  England,  only 
a  better  one." 

"Does  he  believe  in  the  people?"  asked  M.  Ro- 
maine. 

"  I  must  confess  I  do  not  think  he  does,  in  the  same 
sense  as  we  do,"  replied  Colonel  Burr.  "  He  wanted 
a  strong  central  government,  with  a  Senate  composed 
of  the  wealthy  land  owners,  approaching  in  its  char 
acter  the  English  House  of  Lords." 

"  Yes !  "  cried  M.  Romaine,  "  and  with  such  a  gov 
ernment  how  easy  it  would  be  in  time  to  over-ride  the 
people  and  make  the  President  a  King  and  the  Senate 
a  House  of  Lords  in  true  reality.  Ah !  I  believe  your 
M.  Hamilton  does  not  love  the  common  people  and 
that  is  the  reason  he  would  not  drink  the  toast.  But 
do  the  common  people  love  him  ?  " 

"  I  think  General  Hamilton  would  agree  with  me 
when  I  say,"  remarked  Burr,  "  that  they  do  not.  He 
has  held  important  positions  in  the  government  by  ap 
pointment,  but  the  people  have  never  signified  any  de 
sire  on  their  part  to  make  him  President  or  Vice-Presi 
dent,  or  to  elect  him  to  a  seat  in  either  branch  of  our 
national  legislature." 

"  That  is  where  your  people  are  wise,"  cried  M.  Ro 
maine. 

He  filled  a  small  glass  with  brandy  and  drank  it. 
"  I  would  not  trust  that  M.  Hamilton,"  he  said,  rais 
ing  his  voice.  "  I  have  no  doubt  that  his  innermost 
wish  was  for  a  king  and  an  order  of  nobility.  He  may 
have  wished  to  become  your  King  Alexander,  or  per 
haps  he  would  have  been  satisfied  to  be  the  Duke  of — 
what  you  call  it — New  York.  Your  M.  Hamilton  be 
lieves  in  the  divine  right  of  kings.  So  will  I,  if  you 
will  allow  that  the  people  also  have  a  divine  right  to 


1 8  BLENNERHASSETT 

depose  those  kings  who  db  not  rule  their  people  well. 
That  is  what  we  do  in  France.  We  have  done  it 
before.  We  may  have  to  do  it  again." 

Burr  looked  towards  DeVigny.  The  glance  was 
understood. 

"  Come,  M.  Romaine,"  cried  the  Colonel,  "  we  have 
imposed  upon  the  kindness  of  our  host  too  long  already. 
It  is  nearly  morning.  We  will  not  kill  any  more  kings 
until  after  we  have  had  some  sleep." 

At  this  sally  all  laughed,  and  Richmond  Hill,  which 
for  the  nonce  had  been  made  a  shrine  of  liberty  from 
the  French  Republican  point  of  view,  relapsed  into  quiet 
about  an  hour  before  the  sun  sent  its  rays  above  the 
eastern  horizon  to  herald  the  approach  of  another  day. 


CHAPTER  III 

A  SOUTHERN   HOME 

44  f  1  AMP!  "  The  odd  sounding  word  or  name 
I  -•-  rang  out  loud  and  clear  on  the  morning 
V^-J  air. 

The  word  was  spoken  by  a  young  and  very  hand 
some  colored  girl  who  sat  on  the  lower  step  of  the 
veranda  which  surrounded  the  long,  low,  rambling 
structure  built  in  the  southern  style  of  a  century  ago. 
She  had  been  reading  a  small  primer  in  which  she  was 
very  much  interested,  when,  looking  up,  her  eye  caught 
a  sight  which  had  caused  her  to  utter  the  exclama 
tion. 

"  Gamp!  Gamp!   Come  back  here." 

The  little  boy  to  whom  the  words  were  addressed 
did  not  stop,  but  continued  to  run  as  fast  as  his  little 
feet  could  carry  him  down  the  long  path  which  led  to 
the  road.  He  was  not  more  than  two  years  of  age, 
but  there  were  in  his  face  even  at  that  tender  age 
evidences  of  spirit  and  determination,  which,  when 
viewed  by  themselves,  made  him  appear  much  older. 

The  little  fellow  stopped  suddenly  and  picked  up  a 
small  branch  of  a  tree  that  lay  in  his  path,  then  he 
continued  his  flight  from  the  arms  of  his  nurse.  Sud 
denly  he  stopped  again.  A  pet  goat,  diminutive  in  size, 
and  known  by  the  name  of  "  Dickie,"  had  noticed  his 
approach  and  lowering  his  head  advanced  playfully 
towards  him.  But  the  boy  did  not  turn  and  run  for 
safety,  as  the  average  child  would  have  done.  Instead, 
he  grasped  the  stick  with  both  hands  and  rained  blows 


20  BLENNERHASSETT 

so  thick  and  fast  upon  the  head  of  the  astonished  ani 
mal  that  the  latter  turned  and  fled  precipitately. 

The  boy,  flushed  by  his  exertions  and  evidently  de 
termined  to  more  thoroughly  castigate  his  late  op 
ponent,  started  in  pursuit.  But  he  had  not  advanced 
far  before  a  strong  arm  was  thrown  about  his  waist 
and  he  was  lifted  bodily  into  the  air.  Thus  thwarted, 
he  struck  right  and  left  with  his  weapon,  screamed 
lustily  to  be  put  down,  and  kicked  vigorously  in  order 
to  escape  from  the  grasp  of  Penelope,  the  nurse,  who 
had  run  down  the  path  with  the  speed  of  a  deer,  to 
rescue  her  beloved  charge  from  what  she  supposed  to 
be  imminent  danger. 

Despite  his  cries  and  struggles,  Penelope  bore  him 
back  in  triumph  to  the  house.  As  she  approached  it, 
the  front  door  was  opened  and  a  young  man  and  woman 
came  out  upon  the  veranda. 

"What  is  the  matter,  Penelope?  What  has  hap 
pened  to  Gamp?  " 

"  Nothing  bad,  Missus,"  said  the  girl,  as  she  placed 
the  little  boy  upon  the  ground. 

Then  she  proceeded  to  give  her  mistress  an  account 
of  the  little  boy's  combat  with  the  goat. 

During  the  recital  the  boy  advanced  and  clung  to  his 
mother's  dress,  having  forgotten  apparently  both  the 
conflict  and  his  determined  opposition  to  being  pre 
vented  from  renewing  it. 

The  young  mother  smiled  and  taking  her  child  in 
her  arms  kissed  him  tenderly  and  then  held  him  up  to 
receive  a  similar  testimonial  of  affection  from  the  fond 
father,  after  which  she  told  the  nurse  to  take  him  into 
the  house. 

The  mansion,  for  everybody  who  lived  in  the  country 
in  those  days  of  long  ago  occupied  a  mansion,  stood 
upon  an  eminence  surrounded  by  mighty  oak  trees 
from  which  it  took  its  name  "  The  Oaks."  In  the 
distance  could  be  seen  the  quarters  of  the  slaves  who 


A  SOUTHERN  HOME  21 

tilled  the  rice  plantations  which  stretched  in  every  direc 
tion  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach  and  which  the  owner 
considered  to  be  worth  two  hundred  thousand  guineas 
or  more  than  a  million  dollars  of  our  present  money. 

The  young  man  was  fine  looking  and  evinced  the 
attributes  of  good  birth  and  social  refinement.  There 
was  an  alert  look  in  his  eye  and  an  expression  of  firm 
ness  in  the  mouth  and  chin  which  showed  that  he 
was  perfectly  competent  to  manage  successfully  the 
affairs  of  his  large  estate  and  to  take  a  high,  if  not 
a  leading  position,  among  his  neighbors  in  social  and 
political  matters. 

The  young  woman's  face  was  beautiful,  not  because 
it  possessed  simply  those  features  which  make  a  face 
handsome,  but  because  in  the  expression  of  the  eye 
and  the  general  outline  of  the  face  there  was  that  evi 
dence  of  education,  intellectuality,  and  spirituality,  the 
combination  of  which  alone  can  make  a  woman  truly 
beautiful. 

After  Penelope,  with  the  little  boy  in  her  arms,  had 
entered  the  house  the  mother  referred  to  the  incident 
which  had  just  taken  place. 

"  Gamp  is  just  like  his  grandfather,  he  seems  to  have 
no  sense  of  fear." 

"  I  hope,"  replied  her  husband,  "  that  he  will  always 
be  afraid  to  do  wrong." 

"  In  which  case,"  said  the  young  mother  proudly, 
looking  up  into  her  husband's  face,  "  he  will  resemble 
both  his  father  and  grandfather." 

Her  companion  smiled  at  the  compliment,  but,  think 
ing  that  this  was  an  inadequate  return  for  so  delicately 
worded  a  tribute,  he  caught  her  in  his  arms,  kissed  her, 
and  then  looked  earnestly  and  admiringly  into  her  beau 
tiful  face.  The  face  was  the  same  as  that  shown  in 
the  oil  painting  which  stood  in  the  armchair  at 
Richmond  Hill.  She  was  Theodosia  Burr  Alston, 
daughter  of  Aaron  Burr.  The  young  man  was  her 


22  BLENNERHASSETT 

husband,  Joseph  Alston.  The  little  boy  was  Aaron 
Burr  Alston,  the  grandson  of  the  Vice-President.  When 
he  had  first  learned  to  talk,  the  word  "  grandfather  " 
had  been  transformed  into  "  Gamp,"  and  the  doting 
grandparent,  whose  future  hopes  were  centered  in  his 
daughter's  child,  accepted  with  pleasure  the  childish 
title  conferred  upon  him,  and  in  turn  addressed  his 
grandson  as  "  Gampillo  "  or  "  Gampillus." 

A  rustic  seat  which  stood  upon  the  veranda  looked 
inviting  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Alston  accepted  the  mute 
invitation. 

"When  did  you  hear  from  your  father  last?" 

"  Yesterday,"  was  the  reply.  "  He  wrote  me  at 
great  length,  giving  a  full  account  of  the  coming  cam 
paign  in  New  York.  He  seems  very  confident  that  he 
will  be  able  to  overcome  the  combined  efforts  of  his 
opponents  and  secure  his  election  as  governor." 

"  Did  he  make  any  mention  in  his  letter  of  either 
Hamilton  or  Jefferson  ?  " 

"  I  don't  think  he  did.  You  know  he  rarely  ever 
refers  in  his  letters  to  his  opponents.  I  will  go  and 
get  the  letter  so  that  you  can  read  it.  It  came  late  yes 
terday  afternoon  and  you  know  we  had  company  in  the 
evening,  and  it  was  so  late  when  we  retired." 

"  No  apologies  are  needed,  my  dear  Theodosia.  I 
know  you  have  no  secrets  from  me  and  I  have  none 
from  you.  That  is  the  reason  why  I  am  going  to 
improve  the  present  opportunity  and  tell  you  something 
that  has  been  on  my  mind  ever  since  your  father  de 
cided  to  enter  this  contest." 

"  I  hope  it  is  nothing  serious,"  said  the  young  wife, 
a  slight  look  of  alarm  manifesting  itself  upon  her  ex 
pressive  face. 

"  It  may  or  may  not  be  serious,"  her  husband  re 
plied.  "  You  say  your  father  seldom,  if  ever,  refers 
to  his  opponents  in  his  letters.  I  wish  he  would  give 
them  more  attention.  I  mean,  I  wish  he  would  pay 


A  SOUTHERN  HOME  23 

more  attention  to  the  plots  and  counterplots  of  his 
enemies." 

"What  do  you  mean,  Joseph?"  cried  his  wife. 
"  Am  I  to  understand  from  what  you  say  that  anyone 
is  plotting  against  my  father  ?  " 

"  I  am  afraid  so.  I  think,  from  the  day  your  father 
and  Thomas  Jefferson  received  the  same  number  of 
votes  for  the  office  of  president,  that  two  mighty  forces 
have  been  working  against  him,  not  in  active  and 
understood  co-operation,  but  each  force  working  in 
its  own  way  to  secure  a  common  end,  and  that 
end  the  defeat  of  your  father's  political  aspira 
tions." 

"And  from  whom  does  this  opposition  come?" 
she  asked,  now  thoroughly  aroused  by  her  husband's 
words. 

"  As  I  said,  from  two  sources.  One  springs  from 
President  Jefferson,  who  knows  that  your  father,  if  he 
succeeds  in  his  effort  to  be  elected  governor  of  New 
York,  will  be  a  rival  to  be  greatly  feared  in  the  next 
presidential  campaign.  I  may  be  deceived  in  the  man, 
but  I  think  Jefferson  will  carry  on  his  warfare  man 
fully  and  above-board  as  they  say;  but  I  have  a 
different  opinion  of  his  other  antagonist." 

"  Whom  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  I  mean  the  man  who  has  been  his  rival  in  the  field, 
in  politics,  and  at  the  bar,  for  nearly  thirty  years." 

"  General  Hamilton?  "  she  cried;  "  why  father  and 
he  are  the  best  of  friends." 

"  Apparently  so,  I  agree.  I  think  your  father  con 
siders  that  General  Hamilton  is  honest  in  his  opposition 
and  would  do  nothing  underhand  to  injure  him,  but  I 
have  not  the  same  confidence  in  General  Hamilton. 
When  I  was  last  in  New  York  I  met  many  of  your 
father's  political  friends.  They  told  me  many  things 
which  they  said  they  dared  not  mention  to  him,  be 
cause  he  would  never  converse  with  them  about  his 


24  BLENNERHASSETT 

enemies.  He  only  cared  for  the  opinions  of  his  friends. 
They  entreated  me  to  either  write  to  him  or  have  a 
talk  with  him,  and  call  his  attention  to  certain  matters 
that  were  going  on,  so  as  to  put  your  father  on  his 
guard." 

"  And  have  you  done  so?  " 

"  Not  yet,  Theodosia.  I  have  been  thinking  what 
would  be  the  best  way  in  which  to  present  the  matter 
most  forcibly  to  your  father's  attention." 

"  And  have  you  come  to  any  conclusion  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  have  decided  that  it  would  be  better  for  you 
to  write  to  him  than  for  me." 

"  I  do  not  agree  with  you,  Joseph.  If  I  should  write 
to  him  anything  against  General  Hamilton,  I  know  his 
reply  would  contain  the  most  terrible  scolding  that  I 
have  ever  had  in  my  life.  He  would  tell  me  to  attend 
to  my  home  affairs  and  not  interfere  in  politics.  I  never 
could  understand  why  I  should  not  engage  in  politics, 
when  my  father  has  so  kindly  opened  every  other 
avenue  of  advancement  to  me." 

"  It  may  be  as  you  say,  Theodosia.  But  if  you  are 
sure  to  get  a  scolding  for  writing  to  him,  what  treat 
ment  may  I  expect?'" 

"  But  you  are  a  man,"  she  cried,  "  and  you  have  a 
right  to  talk  politics  to  father.  But  what  do  you  wish 
to  tell  him?" 

"  If  I  tell  him  what  I  know,"  said  her  husband, 
"  he  will  either  scout  the  matter  entirely,  or  he  will 
ask  the  sources  of  my  information.  To  give  them  would 
oblige  me  to  disclose  the  names  of  his  friends  who 
conveyed  the  information  to  me.  That  I  cannot  do, 
for  they  bound  me  to  secrecy.  So  you  see,  Theodosia, 
that  although  I  am  disposed  to  do  what  they  ask,  I 
see  no  way  in  which  it  can  be  done  effectually." 

"  Must  it  be  done  to-day  ?  "  his  wife  inquired. 

"  Oh,  no,"  said  her  husband,  with  a  laugh.  "  There 
will  be  plenty  of  time  if  we  take  a  week  to  think  it 


A  SOUTHERN  HOME  25 

over.  I  feel  easier  in  my  mind  now  that  I  have  told 
you,  and  I  know  that  your  active  little  brain  and  great 
love  for  your  father,  in  which  you  know  that  I  join, 
will  find  some  way  out  of  my  difficulty.  But  it  is 
time  now  for  our  morning  walk.  We  must  go  before 
the  sun  gets  too  high. 

He  offered  his  arm,  which  his  wife  took.  They 
walked  down  the  path  beneath  the  spreading  trees, 
stopping  now  and  then  to  inhale  the  fragrance  of  the 
flowers  which  grew  in  little  artificial  parterres  which 
had  been  made  for  them.  He  was  a  superb  specimen 
of  southern  manhood,  she  a  beautiful  transplanted 
northern  flower.  Little  Dickie,  the  goat,  was  brows 
ing  by  the  roadside.  At  the  sight,  in  their  minds,  at 
the  same  instant,  came  the  same  thought  of  their  little 
son,  who  was  their  hope  and  joy,  and  that  thought 
was  that  one  day  he  would  be  the  grandson  of  a  Presi 
dent  of  the  United  States. 


CHAPTER  IV 

A  WESTERN  PARADISE 

THE  rays  of  a  descending  sun  fell  slantingly 
through  the  forest  trees  upon  the  rapidly 
moving  Ohio  River.  They  touched  the  white 
caps  of  the  wavelets,  kissed  by  a  briskly  blowing  wind, 
and  made  them  look  like  molten  gold.  The  little  waves 
moved  on  and  dashed  against  a  diminutive  pier  that 
projected  from  the  shore  of  Blennerhassett  Island. 
The  waters,  only  temporarily  impeded  in  their  course, 
at  last  found  their  way  around  the  end  of  the  pier  and 
then  rushed  on  joyfully  towards  the  sea,  which,  no 
doubt,  they  thought  was  near,  but  which  was  in  reality 
thousands  of  miles  away. 

The  sun  sank  behind  the  western  hills  and  a  full 
moon  showed  itself  above  the  eastern  horizon.  A  small 
boat  containing  a  white  man  and  two  sable-hued  at 
tendants,  who  deftly  plied  the  oars,  hove  in  sight  and 
took  that  branch  of  the  river  which  brought  it  close 
to  the  little  pier  or  wharf.  The  owner  of  the  boat 
evidently  had  no  intention  of  making  a  landing,  but 
signified  to  his  oarsmen  to  hold  up  so  that  he  could 
view  the  enchanting  picture  which  met  his  gaze. 

A  large  lawn  neatly  kept  and  containing  at  least  a 
hundred  acres  sloped  gradually  downward  from  the 
house  to  the  river  bank.  This  beautiful  tract  of  verdure 
was  in  the  shape  of  a  fan  with  the  broad  segment  to 
wards  the  river,  narrowing  to  a  point  as  it  approached 
the  house.  This,  which  was  painted  white,  was  odd 
in  construction,  being  in  the  form  of  a  semicircle.  The 

26 


A  WESTERN  PARADISE        27 

central  portion  was  three  stories  in  height.  The  cir 
cular  wings  were  built  in  such  a  way  that  they  ended 
in  contact  with  the  surrounding  forest  trees  and  effectu 
ally  shut  out  all  view  of  the  barns  and  other  out-build 
ings  which  were  behind  them. 

Seated  upon  the  veranda  of  the  house  were  a  lady 
and  gentleman.  They  had  espied  the  passing  boat  and 
immediately  sent  a  servant  to  invite  the  stranger  to 
land  and  accept  their  hospitality.  This  he  finally  de 
cided  to  do,  and,  in  response  to  urgent  requests,  he 
promised  to  become  their  guest  for  the  night  and  post 
pone  his  journey  until  the  next  morning. 

The  stranger's  two  attendants  were  turned  over  to 
the  care  of  the  colored  servants  of  the  owner  of  the 
estate.  These  latter  were  slaves,  but  no  word  or  action 
made  that  fact  evident.  The  two  boatmen  extem 
porized  a  shelter-tent  and  made  preparations  upon  the 
river  bank  for  their  evening  meal.  A  fishing-pole  was 
loaned  them  and  they  were  soon  provided  with  ma 
terials  for  their  repast,  many  additions  thereto  being 
sent  down  to  them  from  the  house. 

Supper  being  over,  the  host  and  his  wife,  accom 
panied  by  their  guest,  walked  about  the  grounds  to 
view  the  scene  which  was  almost  as  brightly  lighted 
by  the  moon  as  it  had  been  hours  before  by  the  midday 
sun.  The  effect  at  night  was  even  more  beautiful  than 
by  day;  the  contrasts  of  light  and  shade  were  more 
marked  under  the  gentle  rays  of  the  moon  than 
beneath  the  more  widely  diffused  brightness  of  the 
sun. 

The  traveler  was  an  English  gentleman,  Ashelyn  by 
name.  He  was  of  high  social  position  and  great  wealth, 
and  had  made  a  visit  to  America  for  the  twin  purposes 
of  recreation  and  possible  investment. 

As  they  entered  the  house,  after  their  walk,  the 
visitor  took  a  final  view  of  the  sylvan  retreat  and  the 
beautiful  river  which  encircled  it  like  the  setting  of  a 


28  BLENNERHASSETT 

costly  gem,  their  natural  beauties  enhanced  by  the 
moonbeams  which  fell  upon  them. 

His  entertainer  was  Harman  Blennerhassett,  a  mem 
ber  of  a  wealthy  Irish  family,  who  had  sought  a  home 
in  this  wilderness,  in  the  closing  years  of  the  eighteenth 
century,  accompanied  by  his  wife  Margaret.  She  was 
of  English  birth,  being  the  granddaughter  of  the  Brit 
ish  General  Agnew,  who  fell  at  the  battle  of  German- 
town. 

But  the  host  and  hostess  deserve  more  particular 
description. 

Harman  Blennerhassett  was  six  feet  tall.  He  was 
slender  in  figure  and  had  that  slight  stoop  which  seems 
inseparable  from  persons  of  uncommon  stature.  His 
natural  expression  was  serious,  often  falling  into  a  look 
of  cold  reserve.  Both  forehead  and  nose  were  promi 
nent.  It  was  evident  that  he  lacked  that  affability  and 
suavity  of  manner  that  was  so  noticeable  in  his  life 
companion.  He  was  a  connoisseur  of  music  and  played 
well  upon  the  violin  and  'cello,  but  the  music  of  the 
spheres,  commonly  called  thunder,  threw  him  into  a 
state  of  nervous  trepidation  and  affright. 

He  dressed  usually  in  the  old  English  style.  He 
wore  scarlet  or  buff  small  clothes,  silk  stockings,  shoes 
with  silver  buckles,  and  a  coat  of  blue  broadcloth. 
When  at  home  his  dress  was  rather  careless;  he  often 
went  about  in  his  shirt-sleeves  without  coat  or  waist 
coat.  In  winter  a  long  woolen  roundabout  or  jacket 
protected  him  from  the  inclemency  of  the  weather. 

Margaret  Blennerhassett,  his  wife,  was  above  the 
ordinary  stature  and  finely  proportioned.  Her  eyes 
were  dark  blue,  shaded  by  long,  dark-brown  lashes 
which  matched  her  hair.  Her  face  possessed  that 
remarkable  combination,  features  Grecian  in  mold, 
with  cheeks  rosy  with  the  flush  of  health.  Although  it 
did  not  add  to,  but  rather  detracted  from  her  charms, 
she  wore,  in  accordance  with  the  fashion  of  the  time,  a 


A  WESTERN  PARADISE        29 

silk  head-dress  arranged  somewhat  in  the  form  of  a 
Turkish  turban. 

She  was  bright  and  captivating  in  both  speech  and 
movement,  but  was  also  graceful  and  dignified.  She 
had  received  a  fine  education  and  spoke  and  read  French 
and  Italian  in  addition  to  her  mother  tongue.  She  had 
a  taste  for  poetical  and  dramatic  composition,  was  a 
great  admirer  of  Shakespeare,  and  had  introduced  a 
form  of  intellectual  amusement  which  had  given  much 
pleasure  both  to  herself  and  guests.  It  was  the  read 
ing  of  Shakespeare's  plays,  the  various  parts  or  char 
acters  being  assigned  to  the  different  members  of  the 
company  assembled. 

Possessed  of  remarkable  physical  endurance,  she  was 
a  great  lover  of  walking,  and  often  made  trips  on  foot 
over  rough  roads  and  through  paths,  or  rather  trails, 
from  ten  to  twenty  miles  in  length.  She  formed  a  pic 
ture  worthy  the  brush  of  a  Gainsborough,  when,  in  her 
scarlet  riding  habit  with  its  gilded  buttons  and  gold  lace 
trimming,  and  a  wide-brimmed  hat  covered  with  ostrich 
plumes,  she  mounted  her  horse  and  dashed  away,  jump 
ing  fences,  fallen  trees,  ditches,  and  brooks,  with  the  skill 
of  a  cavalryman. 

Within  her  palace  walls  she  was  no  less  forceful. 
A  good  housekeeper,  every  detail  in  the  conduct  of  so 
large  a  house  was  at  her  fingers'  ends.  Although  the 
product  of  the  highest  form  of  English  education,  she 
conformed  easily  to  frontier  customs  and  put  her  less 
educated  and  unfashionable  guests  fully  at  their  ease 
by  her  affability  and  entire  absence  of  any  assumption 
of  superiority.  As  one  who  knew  her  well  has  written 
of  her,  "  She  was  indeed  a  rich-souled  creature,  in 
whom  the  first  germs  of  womanhood  had  blossomed 
forth  without  a  weed  to  check  or  a  chill  to  blight  their 
growth." 

The  stranger  told  his  entertainers  of  what  was  going 
on  in  the  East,  while  his  two  boatmen  were  conveying 


3o  BLENNERHASSETT 

the  same  information  to  the  wondering  ears  of  the  ser 
vants  of  this  island  paradise. 

Over  a  decanter  of  wine  the  traveler,  who  was  a 
finely  educated  man,  entered  more  fully  into  a  recital  of 
the  political,  commercial,  literary,  and  scientific  events 
which  had  lately  transpired  in  the  great  world  from 
which  he  had  come.  It  was  evident  to  him  that 
the  host  and  his  wife  were  persons  of  distinction 
and  of  fine  education,  although  the  cause  that  had  led 
them  to  leave  the  busy  haunts  of  men  and  hide  them 
selves  in  this  island  solitude  was  unknown  to  him,  and 
no  loophole  was  given  him  to  introduce  a  question 
which  might  have  supplied  him  with  an  answer,  even 
had  he  been  disposed  to  take  advantage  of  such  an  op 
portunity. 

Only  one  incident  occurred  during  the  evening  to 
disturb,  in  the  slightest  degree,  Mr.  Ashelyn's  calm 
and  polished  demeanor.  He  had  been  giving  his 
opinion  of  American  statesmen  and  had  referred  to 
Jefferson  and  Hamilton,  when  Mr.  Blennerhassett 
broke  in  somewhat  unceremoniously. 

"  Jefferson  is  a  great  man,"  said  he.  "  He  did  a 
great  service  for  the  United  States  when  he  promul 
gated  the  American  political  doctrine  of  friendship 
for  all  nations,  but  entangling  alliances  with  none." 

"  Hamilton  is  considered  one  of  the  foremost  men 
of  the  time,"  remarked  Mr.  Ashelyn,  excusing  his 
host's  conduct  on  account  of  his  great  interest  in  the 
conversation. 

"  No  doubt  he  is,"  replied  Blennerhassett.  "  He 
erected  the  edifice  consecrated  to  liberty,  but  Jefferson 
laid  the  foundations  in  the  quicksands  of  apprehension 
and  uncertainty." 

All  would  have  been  well  if  the  conversation  had 
rested  here,  but  Mrs.  Blennerhassett,  who  had  been 
an  interested  listener,  now  took  part  in  the  conversa 
tion. 


A  WESTERN  PARADISE        31 

"  Did  you  meet  the  Vice-President,  Mr.  Ashelyn  ?  " 

"  No,  Madam,"  he  replied. 

"  I  should  so  like  to  see  him,"  the  lady  remarked. 
"  I  have  heard  so  much  and  read  so  much  about  him 
that  I  have  become  greatly  interested  in  him.  I  think 
he  is  the  most  remarkable  man  that  this  country  has 
produced,  and  they  say  in  the  presence  of  ladies  he  is 
as  bright,  witty,  and  fascinating  as  a  court  gallant  of 
the  olden  time." 

"  I  do  not  admire  that  kind  of  man,"  said  Mr.  Ashe 
lyn  somewhat  coldly. 

"  Neither  do  I,"  cried  Blennerhassett. 

The  lady,  though  not  unduly  sensitive,  appreciated 
the  fact  that  the  subject  which  she  had  introduced  was 
not  congenial,  and  she  said  no  more. 

A  short  time  afterward  she  excused  herself  in  order 
to  attend  to  some  necessary  household  duties,  and  the 
two  gentlemen  were  left  alone. 

"  Come  into  the  library,  Mr.  Ashelyn,"  said  Blenner 
hassett.  "  I  have  some  old  brandy  there  and  some  good 
cigars  which  we  can  enjoy  while  we  are  finishing  our 
conversation." 

When  they  were  seated,  Mr.  Ashelyn  said,  "  Mr. 
Blennerhassett,  I  trust  you  will  pardon  what  may  have 
appeared  a  somewhat  brusque  reply  to  your  good  lady's 
inquiry  regarding  Mr.  Burr,  the  Vice-President.  After 
she  had  expressed  her  interest  so  strongly  I  did  not 
feel  like  repeating  something  that  I  learned  about  him 
and  which  I  heard  just  before  I  left  New  York  to 
make  my  way  westward.  I  do  not  like  to  attempt  to 
remove  the  good  opinion  that  one  person  may  have  of 
another  unless  my  evidence  is  conclusive.  What  I 
might  have  said  of  Mr.  Burr  rests  only  upon  rumor. 
It  is  only  one  side  of  the  case.  If  all  the  facts  were 
known  my  present  impression  might  be  shown  to  be 
erroneous.  I  have  no  objection,  however,  to  telling 
you  what  I  heard,  and  you,  of  course,  will  use  your 


32  BLENNERHASSETT 

discretion  as  to  whether  it  is  best  to  communicate  the 
intelligence  to  your  wife." 

Blennerhassett,  who  was  about  to  fall  into  a  state  of 
abstraction  seemed  suddenly  to  recover  his  interest  in 
his  visitor's  conversation,  and  remarked,  "  Oh,  cer 
tainly,  I  will  tell  Margaret  to-morrow." 

Mr.  Ashelyn  continued,  "  Of  one  fact,  however, 
there  is  ample  proof.  On  the  eleventh  of  July  a  duel 
took  place  between  Aaron  Burr  and  Alexander  Hamil 
ton  and  the  latter  fell  mortally  wounded." 

"  Great  Heavens !  you  do  not  say  so,"  cried  Blen 
nerhassett,  starting  to  his  feet.  "  I  am  glad  you  did 
not  tell  Margaret,  and  I  won't  tell  her  either.  But 
what  was  the  cause  of  the  meeting?  " 

"  A  score  of  causes  are  given  in  the  newspapers,  but 
no  one  seems  to  know  what  particular  circumstance 
led  to  the  fatal  encounter.  The  funeral  took  place  Fri 
day,  the  thirteenth  of  July,  and  I  left  New  York  Satur 
day  noon.  There  are  some  ugly  rumors  afloat,  for  the 
truth  of  which  I  cannot  vouch,  in  relation  to  the  Vice- 
President's  conduct  before  and  after  the  duel." 

"  Men  who  make  a  business,"  said  Blennerhassett, 
"  of  enslaving  the  attentions  of  the  fair  sex  are  not  apt 
to  be  paragons  of  either  virtue  or  honor." 

"  The  statements  to  which  I  refer,"  rejoined  Mr. 
Ashelyn,  "  appeared  in  a  newspaper  called  the  Amer 
ican  Citizen,  of  which  I  obtained  a  copy,  but  which  I 
unfortunately  have  lost.  There  were  three  of  a  most 
prejudicial  nature,  if  rightly  applied  to  Mr.  Burr's 
conduct.  The  first  said  that  for  three  weeks  previous 
to  the  duel  he  practised  daily  in  the  grounds  back  of 
his  house,  in  order  to  secure  proficiency  in  marksman 
ship.  Of  course,  from  one  point  of  view  he  had  a 
perfect  right  to  do  this,  but  his  action  is  looked  upon 
as  evincing  his  intention  to  make  sure  of  his  ability  to 
kill  his  antagonist. 

"  The  second  statement  was  to  the  effect  that  he 


A  WESTERN  PARADISE        33 

wore  a  suit  of  silk  underclothing  in  order  to  protect 
him  from  injury  in  case  he  was  struck  by  his  opponent's 
bullet.  If  he  did  this,  he  violated  the  code  of  honor, 
so-called,  and  was  guilty  of  conduct  unbecoming  a 
gentleman. 

"  The  third  statement  was  to  the  effect  that  on  the 
evening  of  the  day  when  the  duel  occurred,  a  party 
of  his  boon  companions  had  a  carousal  at  his  residence, 
when  it  is  said  that  Burr  inflamed  with  liquor  made 
a  speech  in  which  he  declared  that  he  was  sorry  he 
had  not  shot  his  antagonist  through  the  heart.  No 
gentleman  would  say  such  a  thing,  and  I  trust  for  his 
sake  and  for  the  honor  of  your  country  that  this  last 
statement  at  least  is  untrue.  Excuse  me,  Mr.  Blenner- 
nassett,  for  introducing  what  must  be  a  very  disagree 
able  subject  to  contemplate." 

"  It  is,"  cried  Blennerhassett  as  he  arose  from  his 
chair.  "  I  shall  not  sleep  to-night  if  I  do  not  tell 
Margaret,  and  I  am  sure  she  won't  sleep  if  I  do.  If 
what  you  say  is  true,  the  brand  of  Cain  will  fall  upon 
that  man,  Aaron  Burr.  I  am  not  a  hard-hearted  man, 
Mr.  Ashelyn,  but  if  Aaron  Burr  stood  outside  my  door, 
naked  and  hungry,  with  a  pitiless  storm  beating  down 
upon  him,  Harman  Blennerhassett  would  close  and 
bar  it  against  his  entrance." 


Cfoe  Boofc . . » ,  (Breat  flDen  ant)  Ubeir  Beefcs 


CHAPTER  V 

A  KNAVISH  PLOT 

THE  winter  of  1803-4  was  of  unusual  severity 
in  the  North  Atlantic  and  Middle  Atlantic 
States.  The  storm  giant  had  been  exhausted 
by  his  terrible  struggles  during  the  first  three  months 
of  the  year,  and  had  succumbed  quickly  to  the  rapid 
advance  of  genial  spring.  The  breeze  was  balmy;  the 
sap  had  shot  upward  in  the  trees  and  the  tiny  leaves 
and  tender  shoots  indicated  a  new  awakening  of  the 
earth;  the  birds  chattered  and  sang  in  the  tree-tops 
and  made  preparations  for  their  annual  housekeeping; 
the  turf  assumed  again  its  coating  of  bright  emerald, 
and  the  man  behind  the  plow  was  seen  busily  at  work 
in  the  fertile  fields  of  Manhattan  Island. 

It  was  upon  such  a  picture  as  this  that  a  man,  seated 
before  a  desk  in  an  office  which  was  evidently  that  of 
a  lawyer,  looked  out.  But  he  only  looked  out.  He 
saw,  but  he  did  not  observe.  His  mind  was  not  upon 
the  beauties  of  spring,  but  upon  his  own  thoughts.  It 
was  nothing  to  him  that  there  was  a  smile  upon  the  face 
of  Nature  as  beautiful  to  the  interested  observer  as  that 
upon  the  face  of  a  lovely  child  after  its  infantile  sor 
rows  have  been  mitigated  or  assuaged  by  kind  words 
or  wished-for  gifts. 

The  man  was  a  little  below  medium  stature  and  in 
the  prime  of  life.  His  form  was  well-knit  and  muscu- 

34 


lar,  indicating  that  in  early  life  he  had  been  inured  to 
privations  and  hardships.  But  it  is  this  man's  face 
that  merits  the  most  careful  attention.  As  he  sat  there 
with  his  features  in  repose,  if  not  a  handsome  man  he 
was  surely  a  good  looking  one.  There  was  a  look  in 
the  eyes  and  in  the  general  expression  of  the  face  cal 
culated  to  beget  confidence  in  the  mind  of  the  average 
beholder.  „ 

But  what  change  is  this  ?  He  took  from  the  desk  the 
letter  which  he  had  written  and  began  to  read  it.  Then 
a  look  of  sly  cunning,  changing  into  an  expression  of 
deep  malignity,  overspread  his  features. 


DEAR  SIR,  the  letter  read  :  I  hope  you  will  par 
don  my  apparent  presumption  in  addressing  this  letter 
to  you.  You  are  well  known  to  me  by  reputation,  and 
I  regret  that  I  have  never  had  the  pleasure  of  being 
formally  introduced  to  you.  But  when  matters  of 
great  public  moment  are  at  stake  I  think  that  these  re 
fined  points  of  courtesy  may  be  dispensed  with,  and 
sincerely  trust  that  you  will  join  with  me  in  this  opinion. 

I  would  not  write  you  if  I  did  not  know  that  our 
common  country  was  in  peril,  and  that  the  united  ser 
vices  of  all  good  citizens  will  be  required  to  avert  im 
pending  danger. 

A  man  well  known  to  both  of  us,  whose  political 
actions  have  been  condemned  by  all  good  men  in  both 
of  our  great  political  parties,  is  now  endeavoring  to 
rally  all  the  malcontents  in  this  State  to  his  standard 
with  the  avowed  purpose  of  becoming  the  Governor  of 
New  York.  You  know  as  well  as  I  do,  my  dear  sir, 
that  Aaron  Burr's  ambition  will  not  terminate  if  he 
is  elected  to  that  office.  He  is,  as  I  often  called  him  in 
my  letters,  the  Catiline  of  America.  His  aim  is  to 
use  the  position  of  governor  simply  as  a  stepping-stone 
to  the  presidency  of  the  United  States.  If  he  should 
gain  that  high  position,  which  God  forbid,  the  horrors 


36  BLENNERHASSETT 

of  the  French  Revolution  will  undoubtedly  be  repeated 
in  this  unhappy  country. 

I  know  it  is  not  considered  honorable  to  disclose  what 
is  seen  or  heard  at  a  private  gathering;  but,  as  you 
will  notice,  this  letter  is  marked  "  Confidential;  "  I 
shall  take  that  as  my  warranty  for  conveying  to  you 
certain  facts  of  which  you  could  possibly  learn  in  no 
other  way. 

I  was  the  guest  of  Mr.  Burr  at  a  private  dinner 
party.  The  majority  of  the  other  guests  were  French 
Republicans  of  the  reddest  hue.  I  will  not  mention 
their  names,  but  they  can  be  found  written  in  letters 
of  blood  in  the  history  of  that  unhappy  country. 

Toasts  and  sentiments  were  offered  at  that  dinner 
which,  received  with  acclamation  and  drunk  with  en 
thusiasm,  would  have  chilled  the  blood  even  of  that 
great  friend  of  French  Jacobins,  Mr.  Jefferson,  our 
worthy  President. 

You  will  infer  from  my  letter  that  I  wish  you  to 
aid  me  in  every  way  in  your  power  to  secure  the  defeat 
of  Aaron  Burr.  Upon  receipt  of  an  intimation  to  the 
effect  that  you  will  do  this,  I  will  write  you  more  fully 
and  indicate  more  precisely  certain  lines  of  action  which, 
in  my  opinion,  give  promise  of  success. 

I  have  the  honor  to  remain, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

ALEXANDER  HAMILTON. 

To  a  citizen  living  in  the  early  part  of  the  nineteenth 
century,  the  two  facial  expressions  previously  referred 
to  might  have  required  lingual  explanation.  To  those 
who  live  in  the  present  day,  however,  that  remarkable 
story  of  double  identity,  Dr.  Jekyll  and  Mr.  Hyde, 
comes  as  an  illustration  of  apparently  great  goodness 
and  evidently  greater  baseness. 

For  some  unknown  reason,  there  always  existed  in 
the  mind  of  Alexander  Hamilton  a  great  antipathy  to 


A  KNAVISH  PLOT  37 

the  military  and  political  advancement  of  his  competi 
tors.  It  probably  sprang  from  an  envious  nature,  but 
,  he  did  not  display  this  envy  in  a  way  to  provoke  open 
criticism.  His  methods  were  always  stealthy,  like  the 
step  of  the  tiger  ready  to  spring  upon  his  prey. 

Among  his  competitors  there  was  one  who  stood  so 
far  above  the  others  that  Hamilton's  envious  feeling 
came  to  be  concentrated  upon  this  one  person  who  was 
none  other  than  Aaron  Burr.  They  had  been  rivals 
in  love,  rivals  in  war,  rivals  in  the  practice  of  the  law, 
and  finally  rivals  for  political  advancement. 

That  memorable  contest,  the  result  of  which  was  the 
election,  as  President  of  the  United  States,  of  Thomas 
Jefferson,  and  Aaron  Burr  as  Vice-President,  had  taken 
place  four  years  previous.  By  a  combination  of  cir 
cumstances,  Aaron  Burr*  had  lost  caste  with  his  party, 
and  he  was  aware  that  his  political  advancement  de 
pended  upon  showing  his  political  power  in  New  York, 
the  State  of  his  adoption.  For  that  purpose,  he  had 
announced  himself  as  a  candidate  for  governor  of  that 
State,  and  the  election  was  to  take  place  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  same  month  in  which  we  see  Alexander 
Hamilton  seated  in  his  law  office. 

It  is  evident  from  the  contents  of  the  letter  which 
has  been  given,  that  Hamilton's  purpose  in  writing  it 
was  to  induce  its  recipient  to  use  all  possible  influence 
against  the  election  of  Aaron  Burr.  In  it  were  certain 
hints  and  suggestions  as  to  certain  things  to  be  done 
to  further  this  object;  the  word  "  Confidential,"  which 
was  heavily  underscored,  indicated  that  Hamilton  had 
not  forgotten  his  anonymous  and  secret  way  of  under 
mining  or  working  against  a  political  rival. 

He  had  just  finished  perusing  his  letter  when  the 
door  was  opened  and  a  man  of  most  unprepossessing 
appearance  entered.  Hamilton  looked  up  and  an  ex 
pression  of  disapprobation  passed  over  his  face. 

"  Why  are  you  here?  "  he  asked.    "  Have  I  not  told 


38  BLENNERHASSETT 

you  that  when  you  wished  to  see  me,  it  must  be  in  the 
evening,  at  my  house,  and  not  at  my  office  ?  " 

"  All  right,  General,"  responded  the  man.  "  I  did 
not  come  here  on  purpose  to  see  you.  I  had  business 
upstairs  with  another  party  and  I  thought  I  would  drop 
in  for  a  moment.  When  I  get  through  I  can  go  out 
by  the  back  way  and  no  one  will  see  me.  Shall  I  turn 
the  key  in  the  lock  ? "  Hamilton  nodded,  then  he 
said: 

"  You  know  I  do  not  wish  anyone  to  see  us  together, 
especially  at  this  time." 

"  Yes,"  replied  the  man,  "  I  know  that  you  are  very 
guarded  in  making  appointments  to  meet  people  at 
your  office.  You  manage  to  keep  up  an  air  of  great 
respectability,  which  I  envy  you;  but  if  your  opponents 
could  read  the  letters  that  you 'write  I  don't  think  they 
would  have  such  a  high  opinion  of  you." 

Hamilton's  face  grew  red  with  vexation  and  dis 
pleasure. 

"  How  dare  you,  Cheetham,"  said  he,  "  speak  to  me 
in  such  a  manner." 

"  Now,  General,"  replied  Cheetham,  "  I  advise  you 
not  to  speak  my  name  so  loud.  Somebody  might  hear 
you  and  then  they  would  know  I  was  here  even  if 
they  did  not  actually  see  me.  Call  me  Simon  or  Peter, 
or  any  other  name,  but  don't  say  Cheetham,"  and,  as 
he  spoke  his  own  name,  his  voice  fell  to  a  whisper. 
"  You  ask  why  I  speak  to  you  in  this  way.  Are  we 
not  engaged  in  the  same  business,  and  am  I  not  doing 
as  much  of  the  hard  work  as  you,  and  although 
when  we  meet  upon  the  street  you  do  not  know  me, 
can't  you  give  me  the  satisfaction  of  talking  to  you 
as  an  equal  when  we  are  together?  If  you  are  not 
willing  to  talk  on  these  terms,  I  have  nothing  more  to 
say.  I  came  here  to  tell  you  a  big  idea  that  I  propose 
to  work  on  election  day,  but  it  is  my  idea  al 
though  it  will  work  to  your  benefit.  I  do  not  care 


A  KNAVISH  PLOT  39 

to  say  anything  about  it  unless  you  are  willing  to 
hear  it." 

"'  Go  on,"  said  the  General.  "  Pardon  my  exhibi 
tion  of  feeling,  but  the  condition  of  political  affairs  in 
this  State  troubles  me  night  and  day." 

"  You  mean,"  replied  Cheetham,  "  that  the  possibil 
ity  of  your  friend  Burr  becoming  Governor  is  what 
troubles  you  night  and  day." 

"  Well,  put  it  that  way,"  answered  Hamilton,  "  if 
it  pleases  you." 

"  I  choose  to  put  it  just  as  it  is,"  retorted  Cheetham. 
"  I  know  what  you  are  up  to,  and  I  know  that  I  am 
doing  all  I  can  to  help  you.  I  am  prepared  to  do  more 
on  the  same  terms  as  I  have  done  the  rest.  It  takes 
money  to  run  my  paper.  As  long  as  I  get  the  money, 
whether  it  comes  in  at  the  back  door  or  the  front  door, 
or  I  find  it  down  in  the  cellar,  or  up  in  the  attic,  it 
makes  no  difference  to  me.  I  don't  want  checks  or 
bank-bills,  but  good  solid  gold  which  shows  no  imprint 
of  the  hand  that  held  it  last  before  it  came  into 
mine." 

"  You  have  always  been  paid,  haven't  you  ?  "  asked 
Hamilton. 

"  Yes,  and  I  always  propose  to  be,"  replied  the  other. 
"  When  the  pay  stops,  the  work  stops." 

"  And  I  suppose,"  remarked  Hamilton,  and  there 
was  a  bitter  tone  in  his  voice,  "  if  someone  paid  you 
more,  you  would  serve  him  as  well  as  others  who  offer 
you  less." 

"  Well,"  answered  Cheetham,  "  I  carry  on  my  paper 
on  the  same  plan  that  other  mechanical  business  is  car 
ried  on.  I  get  the  highest  price  possible  for  my  goods. 
Do  you  find  any  fault  with  that,  General?  Let  us 
change  the  subject;  if  we  don't,  we  shall  quarrrel.  I 
have  an  idea,  and  I  want  to  see  if  you  approve  it.  If 
you  do,  you  can  depend  upon  me  to  put  it  through.  You 
know,"  and  his  voice  again  became  a  whisper,  as  he 


40  BLENNERHASSETT 

drew  his  chair  close  to  Hamilton's,  "  that  we  none  of 
us  are  any  better  than  we  ought  to  be,  you  included." 
The  General  bit  his  lip  but  said  nothing.  "  Now  by 
hook  or  crook,  but  I  think  perhaps  from  articles  that 
have  appeared  in  the  American  Citizen,  the  law-abiding 
and  God-fearing  countrymen  of  this  State  have  got 
the  impression  that  Aaron  Burr  is  a  very  bad  man;  by 
bad,  I  mean  morally  bad.  The  home  and  the  family 
are  great  points  of  pride  with  our  country  citizens,  and 
to  their  minds  a  man  who  invades  the  sanctity  of  home 
is  the  worst  criminal  in  the  world.  Now,  you  know 
as  well  as  I  do  that  Aaron  Burr  is  no  worse  than  the 
rest  of  us,  but  it  would  not  do  for  us  to  acknowledge 
that.  We  should  lose  a  great  political  advantage  by 
doing  so.  Now,  the  little  scheme  that  I  have  in  mind 
is  intended  to  prove  to  the  aforesaid — I  know  you  like 
legal  terms — law-abiding  and  God-fearing  citizens, 
that  Aaron  Burr  is  a  great  deal  worse  than  he  has  ever 
been  pictured.  I  propose  in  every  issue  from  now  until 
election  day  to  make  a  bitter  attack  upon  the  moral 
character  of  Aaron  Burr,  and,  for  election  day,  I  pro 
pose  to  print  a  handbill  and  have  it  circulated  and 
posted,  that  will  declare  in  unmistakable  language  that 
Aaron  Burr  is  the  vilest  profligate  in  the  United  States. 
I  have  the  exact  words  written  down  in  my  office, 
but  I  do  not  propose  to  show  them  to  you  or  to  any 
other  man  until  they  are  in  print.  It  is  my  private 
opinion  that  that  handbill  will  do  the  business,  Coupled 
with  the  persistent  attacks  that  I  shall  make  in  my 
paper.  Shall  I  go  ahead  ?  " 

The  General  looked  at  him  and  an  inquiring  ex 
pression  came  into  his  face. 

"  You  are  afraid,"  said  Cheetham,  "  that  my  price 
is  going  to  be  too  high.  Well,  I  am  going  to  surprise 
you  by  being  reasonable.  All  I  want  is  my  regular 
payment  and  a  certain  part  of  the  official  advertising 
which  I  will  pick  out  in  case  Mr.  Burr  is  defeated. 


A  KNAVISH  PLOT  41 

Do  not  let  us  spend  our  time  on  details,  just  say  go 
ahead,  and  leave  it  to  me.  Your  name  will  never  be 
connected  with  the  affair,  and  whatever  responsibility 
there  is,  I  am  willing  to  accept." 

Hamilton  nodded  his  head. 

"  That  is  enough,"  remarked  Cheetham.  "  Now  I 
have  outlined  the  heavy  artillery  work  which  used  to 
be  your  province  in  the  army,  but  you  must  do  a  little 
pistol  practice  yourself.  I  want  you  to  start  the  same 
idea  from  an  eminently  respectable  source." 

As  Cheetham  uttered  the  word  "  respectable,"  he 
smiled  grimly. 

"  You  have  many  correspondents,  General,  to  whom 
if  a  word  were  dropped,  confidentially,  you  know,  some 
thing  would  appear  in  the  papers  in  the  same  line  as 
what  I  am  going  to  say,  but  from  a  different  point  of 
view.  For  instance,  I  am  working  down  in  the  valley 
while  your  shot  comes  from  the  top  of  the  mountain. 
Do  you  catch  my  idea  ?  "  Hamilton  inclined  his  head 
again. 

Cheetham  continued :  "  I  think  our  business  is  over. 
You  will  see  nothing  more  of  me  until  after  the  election 
unless  you  communicate  with  me  in  the  usual  way  and 
desire  my  company.  I  shall  keep  my  eye  out  for  that 
highly  respectable  pistol-shot  at  our  friend  A.  B.,"  and 
with  another  grim  smile  he  left  the  room. 

Hamilton  sat  musing  for  some  ten  minutes,  most 
of  the  time  with  his  hand  covering  his  eyes.  Then  he 
folded  and  addressed  the  letter  which  he  had  been  pe 
rusing  before  Cheetham  came  in.  Next  he  took  a  fresh 
sheet  of  paper,  dated  it,  marked  it  "  Confidential  "  as 
before,  and  opened  it  with  the  words  "  My  dear 
Cooper."  The  entire  contents  of  that  letter  never  be 
came  public.  It  is  sufficient  at  present  to  know  that  it 
was  addressed  to  Dr.  C.  D.  Cooper,  Albany,  New  York. 

General  Hamilton  then  arose  from  his  chair,  feeling 
that  he  had  well  and  satisfactorily  performed  the  legal 


42  BLENNERHASSETT 

and  political  duties  of  the  day,  and  wended  his  way 
homeward  to  pass  the  evening  with  his  wife  and  the 
children  who  bore  his  name. 

As  he  was  walking  up  Broadway,  a  thin,  wiry-built 
man,  with  his  head  bent  slightly  forward,  crossed  the 
street  with  rapid  strides  and  approached  him. 

"  Good  afternoon,  General,"  he  said  in  a  courtly 
manner.  "  Upon  examining  the  court  records  I  find 
that  owing  to  the  sickness  of  our  friend  Livingston,  you 
have  taken  his  place  in  the  suit  of  Busteed  versus 
Dalrymple.  You  are  probably  acquainted  with  the  fact 
that  I  have  been  retained  by  Mr.  Dalrymple.  The  case 
will  be  called  early  to-morrow  morning.  Will  it  be 
convenient  for  you,  General,  to  have  the  case  come  to 
trial  then,  or  shall  you  ask  for  a  postponement?  Of 
course,  under  the  circumstances,  I  am  willing  to  extend 
to  you  every  possible  legal  courtesy." 

"  Thank  you,  Colonel  Burr,"  replied  Hamilton.  "  I 
was  only  informed  of  my  retention  in  the  case  this  after 
noon,  and  if  you  will  consent  to  a  postponement  of 
several  days  I  shall  appreciate  it  very  much." 

"  With  pleasure,  General,"  replied  Colonel  Burr, 
"  but  there  is  one  matter  upon  which  I  am  not  disposed 
to  allow  any  further  postponement." 

"What  is  that?"  queried  Hamilton,  a  slight  look 
of  astonishment  showing  itself  upon  his  face. 

"  Don't  you  remember,"  said  Burr,  "  that  when  you 
dined  with  me  more  than  six  weeks  ago,  you  gave  me 
your  promise  that  before  a  month  passed  you  would 
again  accept  my  hospitality?  " 

"  I  had  forgotten "  ' 

"  But  I  have  not,"  broke  in  Colonel  Burr.  "  I  can 
easily  forget  the  animadversions  of  my  enemies,  but  it 
is  not  easy  so  to  do  with  the  promises  of  my  friends. 
There  is  to  be  a  little  gathering  to-morrow  evening  at 
Richmond  Hill.  This  time,  ladies  and  gentlemen.  Poli 
tics  are  to  be  barred,  and  I  have  no  doubt  we  shall 


A  KNAVISH  PLOT  43 

pass  a  very  enjoyable  evening.  Will  you  come,  Gen 
eral?" 

That  benignant  and  confidence-inspiring  expression 
that  had  won  the  General  so  many  friends  and  admirers 
came  to  his  face  at  that  fnoment. 

"  I  shall  be  delighted,  my  dear  Colonel,"  he  replied. 

The  great  rivals  shook  hands  warmly  and  parted, 
each  going  his  chosen  way.  If  this  world  were  in 
reality  a  Palace  of  Truth  in  which  thoughts  and  mo 
tives  could  be  as  easily  divined  as  faces  are  seen,  such 
hypocrisy  were  impossible.  Talleyrand,  the  great 
French  diplomat,  said  that  language  was  given  to  man 
so  that  he  could  conceal  his  thoughts.  It  might  be 
added  truthfully  that  facial  expression  was  conferred 
upon  us  so  that  we  might  the  more  completely  conceal 
our  thoughts,  and  intensify  the  effect  of  unfelt  and 
unmeant  words. 


CHAPTER  VI 

"  FIFTY  YEARS  AFTER  MY  DEATH  " 

TWENTY-NINE  years  had  passed  since  the 
ever-memorable  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  a  battle 
which,  though  indecisive  from  a  military  point 
of  view,  was  fully  decisive  in  one  respect,  in  that  it 
elevated  the  patriotic  feelings  of  the  American  colonists 
to  the  point  of  exaltation. 

Twenty-nine  years  had  passed  since  Aaron  Burr,  a 
stripling  of  nineteen,  had  joined  the  American  army,  as 
it  was  by  courtesy  called,  at  Cambridge.  During  that 
comparatively  short  period  of  time  what  a  career  had 
been  his!  He  had  won  high  renown  for  his  conduct 
during  the  war ;  he  had  been  admitted  to  the  New  York 
bar ;  he  had  married,  had  become  the  father  of  a  beauti 
ful  daughter  who  was  now  also  married  and  the  mother 
of  a  handsome  boy  bearing  her  father's  name;  he  had 
been  a  member  of  the  New  York  legislature;,  he  had 
been  appointed  attorney-general  of  the  State  by  one  who 
was  a  political  enemy,  but  who  recognized  his  many 
talents  for  the  position,  and  who  afterwards  offered 
him  a  seat  upon  the  bench;  he  had  been  a  senator  of 
the  United  States,  and  now  in  the  month  of  June,  1804, 
he  was  just  completing  a  term  of  four  years  as  Vice- 
President  of  the  nation  for  which  he  had  fought  so 
bravely,  and  which  he  had  served  almost  continuously 
in  positions  of  trust  and  honor. 

The  twenty-ninth  anniversary  of  the  battle  of  Bun 
ker  Hill  had  been  a  very  warm  but  very  pleasant  day. 
It  was  such  a  day  as  that  which  one  of  our  illustrious 

44 


AFTER  MY  DEATH  45 

poets  must  have  had  in  mind  when  he  sang  that  superb 
song,  two  lines  of  which  will  be  found  in  the  mouths  of 
American  children  and  in  those  of  its  oldest  inhabitants : 

"  What  is  so  rare  as  a  day  in  June  ; 
Then,  if  ever,  come  perfect  days." 

But  about  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening  a  change  came 
over  the  face  of  nature.  Black  portentous  clouds  were 
blown  up  swiftly  and  soon  shrouded  from  sight  the 
star-lit  heavens.  Then  came  from  a  distance  mut- 
terings  of  the  impending  storm.  Jagged  forks  of 
light  shot  from  the  seamy  clouds,  followed  almost  im 
mediately  by  volumes  of  sound  that  resembled  the 
broadsides  from  a  dozen  frigates.  Then  the  rain  came 
down  in  torrents  and  only  those  pedestrians  could  be 
seen  in  the  streets  of  New  York  who  were  hurrying 
homeward,  or  seeking  to  secure  some  other  haven  of 
.shelter. 

In  the  great  house  called  Richmond  Hill  but  few 
lights  could  be  seen,  and  those  were  in  the  lower  story 
where  the  housekeeping  duties  were  performed.  There 
was  no  light  in  the  great  library,  and  this  seemed  to  at 
test  the  fact  which  would  have  been  found  to  be  true — 
that  the  master  of  the  house  was  absent.  He  had  gone 
to  New  Jersey  early  that  morning  on  legal  business, 
and  had  left  word  that  he  should  not  return  until  the 
next  morning,  so  the  care  of  the  establishment  de 
volved  upon  Peggy,  the  colored  housekeeper,  who 
was  competent  from  every  point  of  view  to  maintain 
_  order  and  decorum  in  the  great  mansion. 

A  candelabrum  was  burning  in  the  great  hall,  for  it 
was  not  an  uncommon  thing  to  have  many  evening 
callers  at  Richmond  Hill,  and  the  master  of  the  house 
had  given  strict  orders  that  the  hall  lights  were  never  to 
be  extinguished  until  it  was  known  that  he  had  retired 
for  the  night. 

The  colored  servants  of  the  house,  including  Peggy, 


46  BLENNERHASSETT 

numbered  eight.  Acting  either  from  the  adage  that 
"  misery  loves  company,"  or  that  "  there  is  strength 
in  numbers,"  th.e  whole  household  had  gathered  in 
Peggy's  brightly-lighted  kitchen'  where  she  was  en 
gaged  in  some  household  duties. 

This  invasion  was  evidently  not  to  her  liking,  for 
turning  to  her  uninvited  visitors  she  cried : 

"  What's  all  yo'  niggers  crowded  in  hyah  fo  '  ?  Yo'se 
no  business  loafm'  roun'  hyah  an'  interruptin'  me.  Now 
all  o'  yo'  git  out  o'  hyah  or  I'll  tell  Massa  Burr  when  he 
comes  home." 

Peggy  returned  to  her  duties,  evidently  disposed  to 
wait  for  a  short  time  to  see  the  effect  of  her  words,  but 
no  one  moved.  Then  she  turned  upon  them  again : 

"  I  know  what  yo'se  all  in  hyah  fo' — 'cause  yo'se  all 
'fraid.  When  yo'  hear  the  Lord  a-talkin'  ter  yo'  it 
makes  all  yo'  sinners  think  of  yo'  guilty  actions,  and  yo' 
come  down  hyah  thinkin'  that  if  yo'  keep  close  to  a, 
good  Christian  woman  like  me  there'll  be  some  mercy 
shown  yo'." 

"  I  don't  think  that's  very  Christian  talk,"  said  Col 
onel  Burr's  valet  who  was  named  John,  but  who  had 
been  nicknamed  John  the  Baptist  by  his  fellow  servants. 

"  Oh  yes  'tis,"  rejoined  Peggy,  "  don'  yo'  know  the 
Good  Book  says  "  who  the  Lord  lovef  he  chastenef. 
Now  yo'  niggers  don'  know  what  chastenef  means.  It 
means  ter  give  yo'  a  lickin/  and  yo'  know  yo'selves 
that  yo'  all  o'  yo'  deserves  a  good  lickin'." 

"  We  are  not  slaves,"  said  John,  "  and  our  master 
does  not  treat  us  as  though  we  were." 

"  Well,  that's  'cause  the  massa  is  good,  and  not 
'cause  yo'  is,"  retorted  Peggy. 

Further  argument  was  cut  short  by  the  sound  of  a 
series  of  loud  knocks  at  the  front  door. 

"  I  reckon  Massa  Burr's  got  home,"  said  Peggy,  and 
as  if  by  magic  the  other  servants  disappeared  from  the 
kitchen  and  sought  their  respective  posts  of  duty,  with 


AFTER  MY  DEATH  47 

the  exception  of  young  Sam,  a  colored  boy  about  thir 
teen  years  of  age  who  had  been  deputed  to  act  as  chore 
boy  or  assistant  to  Peggy. 

"'Come  hyah,"  said  Peggy  to  Sam,  "  yo'se  too  young 
to  be  very  wicked,  Sam,  but  yo'  ain't  too  young  to  be 
awful  lazy.  See  those  'ere  knives  ?  Now  yo'  take  that 
brick-dust  and  yo'  jus'  polish  those  knives  till  they  are 
as  bright  as  " — As  Peggy  spoke  the  last  words,  there 
came  a  gigantic  flash  of  lightning  that  filled  the  room 
with  a  silvery  flame  and  made  the  candles  look  dim — 
"  that  flash  o'  lightnin',"  continued  Aunt  Peggy,  evi 
dently  unmoved.  "  Be  careful  yo'  don'  cut  yo'se'f  for 
them  knives  is  as  sharp  as  " —  Close  upon  her  last 
word  followed  peal  after  peal  of  thunder.  The  sounds 
seemed  to  be  right  above  the  house,  and  a  nervous  per 
son  quaking  with  inward  fear  would,  no  doubt,  have 
declared  that  the  house  itself  shook  from  chimney-top 
to  foundation-stone,  but  the  unmoved  Peggy  completed 
her  speech  by  saying — "  that  bust  o'  thunder." 

When  John  opened  the  front  door  a  very  old  man 
clad  in  coarse  garments,  which  were  apparently  wet 
through  by  the  rain,  asked  if  Colonel  Burr  was  in. 
When  informed  .that  he  was  absent  and  would  not  re 
turn  until  the  next  morning,  he  seemed  much  distressed. 

"  I  am  very  sorry,"  said  he,  "  it  is  not  for  myself, 
but  for  a  dear  friend  who  is  dying.  He  wishes  to 
make  a  deposition,  and  the  matter  must  be  attended  to 
by  a  lawyer." 

"  Oh,"  said  John,  "  if  a  lawyer  is  what  you  want, 
why  don't  you  go  to  Judge  Van  Ness?  He  is  a  great 
friend  of  Colonel  Burr's,  and  I  will  tell  you  how  to 
find  his  house,"  and  John  proceeded  to  give  the  neces 
sary  directions. 

The  stranger  thanked  him  over  and  over  again.  John 
closed  the  door,  leaving  him  once  more  to  the  blackness 
of  the  night  and  the  fury  of  the  storm  which  was  in  no 
whit  abated. 


48  BLENNERHASSETT 

Half  an  hour  had  hardly  passed  before  the  sound  of 
wheels  was  heard,  and  John  at  his  post  of  duty  and  on 
the  alert,  opened  the  front  door  and  admitted  Colonel 
Burr.  His  master  was  drenched  to  the  skin  eve*n  as 
the  poor  stranger  had  been. 

"  I  will  go  at  once  to  my  room,  John,  and  change  my 
clothing,"  said  Colonel  Burr.  "  Has  Peggy  retired?  " 

"  No,  sir,"  replied  John. 

"  Then  tell  her  to  send  up  a  light  repast  to  the  li 
brary.  I  was  so  anxious  to  reach  home,  and  the  storm 
was  so  severe  that  I  did  not  get  any  supper." 

"  What  will  you  have,  sir?  "  inquired  John,  politely. 

"  Tell  Peggy  to  send  me  anything  that  can  be  easily 
prepared,"  Burr  replied  as  he  ascended  the  front 
stairs. 

When  the  master  of  the  house  reached  his  library 
half  an  hour  later,  a  bright  fire  was  burning  in  the  open 
fireplace,  and  a  slice  of  cold  meat,  some  toasted  bread, 
a  dish  of  stewed  prunes,  of  which  he  was  very  fond,  and 
a  cup  of  smoking  coffee  were  upon  a  tray  on  his  library 
table.  There  were  also  several  letters  upon  the  table 
that  had  arrived  during  the  day,  and  as  he  ate  his  simple 
meal  he  took  them  up  and  glanced  at  the  superscriptions. 

One  addressed  to  him  in  a  dainty  feminine  hand  he 
held  to  his  lips  a  moment,  then  he  said  to  himself: 
"  Poor  Leonora ;  what  a  sad  fate  for  a  woman  pos 
sessed  of  such  a  rich  fund  of  intellectual  sympathy  and 
spiritual  feeling,  to  be  bound  to  such  an  unappreciative 
bore  of  a  husband.  What  a  curse  are  these  marriages 
brought  about  to  maintain  family  pride  and  combine 
family  riches.  Were  she  to-day  the  mistress  of  Rich 
mond  Hill  " — as  he  said  this,  he  looked  about  the  hand 
some  apartment — "  she  would  be  a  queen.  As  it  is,  she 
is  only  a  slave." 

Half  a  dozen  other  letters  were  glanced  at  and  then 
thrown  upon  the  library  table,  evidently  not  being  con 
sidered  of  much  consequence  by  their  reader,  but  the 


AFTER  MT  DEATH  49 

last  one  that  he  perused  was  apparently  of  the  greatest 
importance. 

When  he  finished  it,  Burr  arose  from  his  chair  and 
held  the  letter  in  his  hand,  walking  excitedly  several 
times  up  and  down  the  long  apartment. 

"  Can  it  be  possible  ?  "  he  asked  himself  aloud.  "  I 
do  not  mind  the  attacks  of  my  enemies,  but  this  perfidy 
of  one  I  thought  my  friend  cuts  me  to  the  quick.  I 
knew  we  differed  honestly  in  our  political  opinions,  but 
I  saw  no  reason  why  we  should  not  be  true  and  loyal 
friends  in  our  social  relations.  Why,  it  is  not  a  year 
since  I  went  to  him  and  repeated  what  some  busy-body 
had  told  me  he  had  said  about  me.  He  apologized,  and 
assured  me  that  there  should  never  be  cause  for  any  such 
feeling  on  my  part  in  the  future.  I  believed  him,  for  I 
have  always  considered  him  a  man  of  honor  in  matters 
of  honor." 

Then  he  crumpled  the  letter  in  his  hand  and  stood 
looking  into  the  blazing  fire. 

"  This  must  be  stopped,"  he  said  finally,  "  and  it  shall 
be,  once  and  for  all." 

He  walked  deliberately  to  his  seat  at  the  table,  drew 
a  sheet  of  paper  towards  him,  dipped  his  quill  in  the  ink 
and  wrote,  "  New  York,  June " 

At  that  moment  the  old  clock  in  the  hallway  struck 
the  hour  of  twelve.  It  was  midnight.  Burr  counted 
the  strokes  and  then  finished  the  line  which  he  had  com 
menced — "  1 8,  1804."  Then  he  dropped  his  quill,  and 
taking  up  the  crumpled  letter  opened  it  and  read  it 
through  once  more.  It  was  as  follows: 

NEW  YORK,  June  17,  1804. 

MY  DEAR  BURR  :  During  our  late  noble  but  unsuc 
cessful  campaign,  you  and  I  were  so  busy  in  speaking 
and  writing  to  those  who  believed  as  we  did,  that  no 
doubt  we  were  somewhat  unmindful  of  what  was  being 
said  and  done  by  those  who  did  not  believe  as  we  did. 


50  BLENNERHASSETT 

Last  evening  I  was  looking  over  an  accumulation  of 
old  papers  and  found  the  enclosed  article.  I  think  you 
will  be  somewhat  interested  in  the  lines  that  I  have  un 
derscored.  Perhaps  you  will  agree  with  me  now  in  an 
opinion  that  I  have  often  expressed  in  regard  to  a  cer 
tain  individual  in  whose  favor  you  have  often  taken  up 
the  cudgel  against  my  attacks.  I  will  call  at  your  house 
to-morrow  morning  and  as  we  walk  down  town 
together  we  can  talk  the  matter  over. 

Sincerely  your  friend, 

W.  P.  VAN  NESS. 

Then  Burr  took  the  newspaper  slip  which  had  been 
enclosed  in  his  friend  Van  Ness's  letter  and  read  again 
the  lines  which  had  been  underscored  : 

"  General  Hamilton  and  Judge  Kent  have  declared, 
in  substance,  that  they  look  upon  Mr.  Burr  to  be  a 
dangerous  man  and  one  who  ought  not  to  be  trusted 
with  the  reins  of  government." 

"  I  could  detail  to  you  a  still  more  despicable  opinion 
which  General  Hamilton  has  expressed  of  Mr.  Burr." 

Burr  then  took  up  his  quill  once  more  and  finished 
his  letter. 

SIR  :  I  send  for  your  perusal  a  letter  signed  Charles 
D.  Cooper,  which,  though  apparently  published  some 
time  ago,  has  but  recently  come  to  my  knowledge.  Mr. 
Van  Ness,  who  does  me  the  favor  to  deliver  this,  will 
point  out  to  you  that  clause  of  the  letter  to  which  I  par 
ticularly  request  your  attention. 

You  must  perceive,  sir,  the  necessity  of  a  prompt  and 
unqualified  acknowledgment  or  denial  of  the  use  of  any 
expression  which  would  warrant  the  assertions  of  Dr. 
Cooper.  I  have  the  honor  to  be, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

A.  BURR. 

GEN.  HAMILTON. 


AFTER  MT  DEATH  51 

Burr  then  made  a  copy  of  the  letter  and  folded  and 
addressed  the  original.  Next  he  summoned  his  valet 
and  went  up  stairs  to  his  bedchamber.  In  ten  minutes 
the  great  mansion  was  wrapped  in  darkness.  There 
was  no  light  even  in  the  room  occupied  by  the  master 
of  the  house;  in  fact  he  was  in  bed  and  soon  asleep, 
unmindful  of  the  facts  that  he  had  been  successful  that 
day  and  had  won  an  important  suit  for  a  wealthy  client ; 
that  he  had  been  exposed  for  hours  to  a  drenching  storm 
and  had  suffered  no  harm  therefrom;  that  he  had  re 
ceived  a  letter  which  had  aroused  in  his  mind  a  com 
bination  of  sad  and  bitter  feelings;  and  that  he  had 
written  a  letter,  the  possible  consequences  of  which 
even  he  could  not  at  that  time  have  foreseen. 

On  the  morning  of  the  eighteenth  of  June  Colonel 
Burr  was  up  early  and  partook  of  his  simple  breakfast 
of  an  egg,  a  slice  of  bread,  and  a  cup  of  coffee.  He  then 
sought  his  library  and  wrote  a  reply  to  the  letter,  the 
sight  of  which  had  led  him  to  say  "  Poor  Leonora." 
He  finished  and  addressed  it,  then  placed  it  in  the  inside 
pocket  of  his  coat.  At  that  moment  a  visitor  was  an 
nounced,  and  Judge  Van  Ness  entered., 

"  Good  morning,  Colonel." 

"  Good  morning,  Judge,"  were  the  salutations  spoken 
almost  conjointly.  The  two  gentlemen  seated  them 
selves. 

"  You  have  read  my  letter  ?  "  interrogated  Van  Ness. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Burr,  "  I  got  home  late  last  night, 
although  I  had  not  expected  to  arrive  until  this  morn 
ing.  I  read  your  letter  and  have  written  one  to  Ham 
ilton,  but  I  have  thought  it  all  over  and  I  have  decided 
not  to  send  it." 

He  took  the  letter  in  his  hands  and  made  a  motion 
as  though  to  tear  it  in  two. 

"  Wait  a  moment,"  cried  Van  Ness,  grasping  his 
hands.  "  Don't  tear  it  up  yet.  I  have  something  to 
tell  you.  Did  you  see  your  visitor  last  evening?  " 


52  BLENNERHASSETT 

"  What  visitor?  "  queried  Burr. 

"  Perhaps  he  came  before  you  got  home.  He  reached 
my  house  at  nine  o'clock." 

Burr  rang  a  bell  that  stood  upon  the  library  table  and 
John  entered. 

"  Did  any  one  call  to  see  me  last  evening,  John  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  sir,"  stammered  John,  "  I  meant  to  tell 
you,  but  you  went  right  up  stairs,  and  then  when  you 
came  down  I  went  up  to  get  your  clothes  to  dry  them, 
and  I  forgot." 

"  Forgot !  "  said  Burr,  somewhat  sternly.  "  That 
may  be  a  good  reason  why  you  did  not  tell  me,  but  it  is 
no  excuse  for  your  not  telling  me.  What  did  the  vis 
itor' say,  John?  " 

"  He  asked  for  you,"  said  John,  "  and  I  told  him  you 
was  out  and  wouldn't  get  back  until  this  morning.  Then 
he  said  that  a  dying  man  wished  to  make  a  disposition  " 
— at  this  word  Van  Ness  smiled — "  and  he  must  have  a 
lawyer,  because  the  man  couldn't  wait  until  you  got 
home  " — this  last  remark  caused  Burr  himself  to  smile 
— "  so  I  sent  him  to  Mr.  Van  Ness  for  I  knew  he  was  a 
friend  of  yours." 

"  You  did  perfectly  right,  John,"  said  Colonel  Burr, 
"  many  people  who  have  had  superior  advantages  to 
those  which  you  possess,  forget  much  oftener  than  you 
do;  only  remember  what  I  have  so  often  told  you,  that 
forgetfulness  in  a  valet  may  cause  his  master  much  in 
convenience.  You  are  excused,  John." 

John  left  the  room  and  Van  Ness  continued : 

"  Well,  I  answered  the  summons  and  had  the  most 
remarkable  adventure  of  my  life;  one  with  which  you, 
however,  are  the  most  closely  connected." 

"  You  render  me  somewhat  curious,"  said  Burr 
gravely. 

"  I  think  this  document  will  satisfy  your  curiosity," 
remarked  Van  Ness  as  he  unfolded  a  legal-looking 
paper  containing  some  half  dozen  sheets  of  foolscap. 


AFTER  MT  DEATH  53 

"  If  you  will  pardon  me,  Colonel,"  said  Van  Ness, 
"  while  you  are  reading  it,  I  will  enjoy  a  cigar." 

"  Certainly,"  said  Burr,  "  you  will  find  a  box  in  the 
cabinet." 

Van  Ness  smoked  and  Burr  read.  Van  Ness  eyed 
attentively  the  unimpassioned  and  unmoved  face.  In 
the  presence  of  others,  that  face  never  expressed  any 
indication  of  the  thoughts,  the  motives,  or  the  feelings 
that  actuated  the  heart  or  influenced  the  brain  of  their 
possessor.  He  read  the  document  carefully  from  the 
beginning  to  the  close.  Then  he  laid  it  on  the  library 
table  and  looked  at  Van  Ness. 

"  I  know,"  said  Van  Ness,  "  where  the  very  best 
quality  of  cowhides  can  be  purchased." 

"  No  doubt,"  replied  Burr,  "  but  cowhides  are  not 
used  by  gentlemen  in  affairs  of  honor." 

"  No,"  rejoined  Van  Ness,  "  but  a  cowhide  may  be 
used  by  a  gentleman  who  is  a  gentleman,  in  dealing 
with  one  who  is  supposed  to  be  a  gentleman,  but  who 
is  not." 

"  I  understand  you,"  said  Burr.  "  I  cannot  follow 
your  suggestion,  but  the  reading  of  that  document 
forces  me  to  send  to  General  Hamilton  the  letter  that  I 
was  on  the  point  of  destroying." 

"  I  am  glad  of  that,"  said  Van  Ness. 

"  I  may,  or  may  not  be  in  the  future,"  remarked  Col 
onel  Burr  as  he  arose  from  his  seat. 

"  Here  is  a  copy  of  my  letter  to  the  General,"  he 
said,  passing  it  to  Van  Ness.  "  Please  keep  the 
correspondence  which  may  or  may  not  be  volum 
inous." 

While  Van  Ness  was  reading  the  letter  Burr  lighted 
a  cigar,  walked  to  the  library  table  and  took  up  the 
document  which  Van  Ness  had  given  him  to  read. 

"  That  will  do  for  a  beginning,"  said  Van  Ness  as  he 
folded  up  the  copy  of  the  letter  and  put  it  in  his  pocket, 
"  but  what  are  you  going  to  do  about  that  dying  con- 


54  BLENNERHASSETT 

fession  ?  "  he  asked,  pointing  to  the  paper  which  Burr 
held  in  his  hand. 

"  I  am  thinking,"  replied  Burr. 

"  If  I  were  in  your  position,"  said  Van  Ness,  "  if  the 
General  did  not  send  me  a  complete  explanation  and 
ample  apology  for  those  lines  in  Cooper's  letter,  I  would . 
publish  that  deposition  and  send  it  broadcast  through 
the  country.  That  double-faced  friend  has  had  two 
strings  to  his  bow  too  long.  One  of  them  should  be 
snapped,  and  I  am  the  man  who  would  do  it." 

"  I  have  decided,"  said  Burr. 

He  took  a  sheet  of  paper,  and  placing  the  deposition 
inside,  he  folded  it  up  securely.  Then  he  sealed  it  in 
the  middle  and  on  both  ends  with  his  private  seal. 
Taking  up  his  quill  he  wrote  in  a  bold  hand — "  The 
Property  of  Aaron  Burr.  Not  to  be  opened  and  the 
contents  made  public  until  fifty  years  have  elapsed  after 
my  death." 

"  That  is  final,"  said  Burr  as  he  passed  the  document 
to  Van  Ness  who  quickly  read  what  was  written  upon 
it. 

"  As  you  will,"  said  Van  Ness,  "  it  is  your  right  to 
decide." 

"  Keep  the  document,"  said  Burr,  "  until  this  affair  is 
over  at  least,"  and  Van  Ness  placed  it  in  his  pocket. 

Then,  smoking  their  cigars,  the  two  gentlemen  left 
the  mansion  and  passed  slowly  through  its  beautiful 
grounds  until  they  reached  the  road.  Then  they  locked 
arms  and  walked  down  town  to  their  respective  offices. 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE   CHALLENGE 

IT  was  not  until  the  twentieth  of  June  that  a  reply 
was  received  by  Colonel  Burr  from  General  Ham 
ilton.  It  had  been  delivered  at  Colonel  Burr's 
law  office,  but  he  had  been  too  busy  with  his  clients  to 
do  more  than  open  it  and  ascertain  that  it  was  an  answer 
to  his  communication  of  the  eighteenth. 

He  sent  a  messenger  to  Judge  Van  Ness's  office  re 
questing  him  to  call  on  him  that  evening  at  Richmond 
Hill.  Eight  o'clock  found  the  two  gentlemen  seated 
once  more  in  Burr's  library.  The  General's  reply  was 
long.  Burr  read  it  over  to  himself,  and  then  read  it 
aloud  to  Van  Ness.  He  was  an  eager  and  attentive 
listener. 

"  Special  pleading,"  said  Van  Ness,  with  a  low 
chuckle.  "  He  apparently  is  not  willing  to  file  a  direct 
answer,  or  enter  a  demurrer,  but  rather  insinuates  that 
he  is  disposed  to  deny  the  jurisdiction  of  the  court.  But 
the  point  of  his  letter,  like  the  sting  of  a  scorpion,  is  in 
the  end  of  it.  Did  you  notice,  Colonel  Burr,  that  he 
virtually  says  that  if  you  are  not  satisfied  with  this  ram 
bling,  and,  to  me,  very  unsatisfactory  communication, 
that  he  is  prepared  to  abide  the  consequences.  I  never 
imagined  he  was  capable  of  rising  to  quite  so  high  a 
level  as  that,  and  even  now  I  think  it  is  more  bragga 
docio  on  paper  than  anything  else.  Do  you  think  he 
will  fight,  Colonel  ?  " 

"  If  I  challenge  him,  he  will  have  to,"  replied  Burr. 

"  Well,"  said  Van  Ness,  savagely,  "  if  you  challenge 

55 


56  BLENNERHASSETT 

him  and  he  finds  some  sneaking  way  of  avoiding  a 
meeting,  I  will  cowhide  him,  if  you  don't." 

"  Calm  yourself,  Van  Ness,"  said  Burr,  courteously. 
"  I  shall  count  upon  your  good  offices  as  my  second, 
but  I  do  not  think  you  will  be  called  upon  to  take  the 
place  of  the  principal,  although  I  know  of  no  one  to 
whom  I  would  sooner  confide  the  care  of  my  honor  were 
I  unable  to  defend  it  myself." 

The  two  men  clasped  hands;    then  Burr  continued: 

"  I  will  think  the  General's  letter  over  this  evening, 
and  will  answer  it  to-morrow.  Will  you  kindly  see 
that  it  is  delivered,  Van  Ness  ?  " 

"  Certainly,"  replied  the  latter,  "  there  is  no  service 
that  you  can  ask  of  me,  Colonel,  that  I  will  not  gladly 
render,  even  to  taking  your  place  as  principal  in  this 
affair." 

As  he  said  this  both  men  smiled,  but  there  was  a 
great  difference  in  those  smiles.  One  was  savage  in  its 
nature,  while  the  other  had  a  grave  tinge  of  sadness. 
When  Burr  was  alone,  he  sat  down  and  read  Hamilton's 
letter  through  again.  His  reply  was  short  but  to  the 
point. 

On  the  twenty-second  of  June,  General  Hamilton 
called  upon  his  friend,  Nathaniel  Pendleton,  who,  like 
Van  Ness,  was  a  judge.  The  interview  took  place  in 
Judge  Pendleton's  private  office.  General  Hamilton 
was  evidently  much  excited  and  disturbed  by  something 
that  had  taken  place,  and  his  friend  looked  inquiringly 
at  him  as  he  noticed  these  marks  of  unusual  ex 
citement. 

"  What  has  happened,  General  ?  "  he  inquired,  after 
Hamilton  had  sat  for  five  minutes  without  opening  the 
expected  conversation.  The  General  took  several  papers 
from  his  pocket,  neatly  folded,  and  marked  "  I,"  "  2," 

"3-" 

"  Read  those,  if  you  please,  Judge,"  said  he,  "  m  the 
order  in  which  they  are  numbered." 


THE  CHALLENGE  57 

While  Pendleton  was  reading,  Hamilton  arose  from 
his  chair  and,  walking  to  a  window  at  the  farther  end 
of  the  office,  looked  out  upon  the  busy  scene,  for  the 
Judge's  office  was  upon  a  much  frequented  thorough 
fare. 

"  Well,  General,"  said  Pendleton,  as  he  finished  read 
ing  Burr's  second  letter,  "  what  is  to  be  the  up-shot  of 
this?" 

Hamilton  walked  slowly  towards  the  speaker  and  re 
sumed  his  chair. 

"When  Mr.  Van  Ness  brought  Colonel' Burr's  last 
letter,  I  told  him  that  I  thought  Burr's  first  letter  was 
rude  and  offensive,  and  that  it  was  not  possible  for  me 
to  give  it  any  answer  other  than  that  Mr.  Burr  must 
take  such  steps  as  he  might  think  proper." 

"What  did  Van  Ness  say  to  that?"  inquired  Pen 
dleton. 

"  Well,"  replied  the  General,  "  he  didn't  seem  quite 
satisfied  to  take  my  answer  back  to  Colonel  Burr.  He 
requested  me  to  take  time  to  deliberate  and  then  return 
an  answer  when  I  might  possibly  entertain  a  different 
opinion,  and  said  that  he  would  call  on  me  to  receive 
it."  General  Hamilton  continued,  "  I  told  Mr.  Van 
Ness  that  I  did  not  perceive  it  possible  for  me  to  give 
any  other  answer  than  that  I  mentioned,  unless  Mr.  Burr 
would  take  back  his  letter  and  write  me  one  which 
would  admit  of  a  different  reply.  Keep  those  letters, 
Judge,  and  here  is  another  which  I  have  written  and 
which  I  authorize  you  to  deliver  to  Mr.  Van  Ness  in  case 
he  calls  upon  you.  I  am  going  to  my  country  house  this 
afternoon,  and  may  not  be  back  to  the  city  for  several 
days.  I  know  I  can  count  upon  your  best  and  most 
friendly  services  in  this  matter." 

"  Certainly,"  replied  Judge  Pendleton,  "  I  regret  the 
occurrence,  but  the  situation  must  be  faced  with  dignity 
and  with  a  due  regard  for  your  well-established  reputa 
tion." 


58  BLENNERHASSETT 

General  Hamilton  left  the  office,  apparently  of  the 
opinion  that  an  affair  of  honor  could  be  settled  by  a 
brace  of  lawyers  as  though  it  were  a  mere  legal  squab 
ble. 

Van  Ness  was  anxious  to  have  the  matter  culminate 
at  the  earliest  possible  moment.  He  knew  General 
Hamilton's  peculiarities  as  a  lawyer,  and  felt  sure  that 
he  would  resort  to  every  possible  scheme  to  defer  mak 
ing  a  definite  reply,  trusting  that  the  lapse  of  time  and 
the  excess  of  verbiage  bestowed  by  him  upon  the  ques 
tion  would  eventually  so  cover  up  and  befog  the  main 
points  at  issue,  that  it  would  consume  much  time  to 
arrive  at  the  real  heart  of  the  discussion ;  so,  in  a  fever 
of  impatience,  he  despatched  a  letter  to  General  Ham 
ilton. 

Van  Ness  having  learned  accidentally  that  General 
Hamilton  had  visited  Judge  Pendleton,  presumably  in 
relation  to  the  dispute  between  himself  and  Colonel 
Burr,  took  occasion  to  call  upon  Pendleton  and  re 
ceived  from  him  a  letter,  it  being  the  one  that  General 
Hamilton  had  left  with  Judge  Pendleton  at  his  inter 
view  with  the  latter. 

On  the  twenty-sixth  of  June,  Judge  Van  Ness  re 
ceived  a  communication  from  Judge  Pendleton.  A  con 
ference  took  place  that  day  between  Judge  Van  Ness 
and  Colonel  Burr,  as  a  result  of  which  the  former  sent 
what  was  considered  to  be  the  closing  letter  of  the  cor 
respondence  to  Judge  Pendleton.  After  mature  re 
flection,  however,  Colonel  Burr  decided  to  accompany 
the  challenge  with  a  further  communication  relating 
to  .certain  points  which,  in  his  opinion,  had  not  been 
fully  covered  in  Judge  Van  Ness's  last  letter ;'  so,  when 
the  challenge  was  presented  to  Judge  Pendleton  by 
Judge  Van  Ness,  the  latter  handed  him  a  communica 
tion  written  by  him  after  a  long  interview  with  Colonel 
Burr  in  the  library  at  Richmond  Hill. 

At  the  time  that  Judge  Van  Ness  called  upon  Judge 


THE  CHALLENGE  59 

Pendleton  with  the  challenge,  the  latter,  in  behalf  of 
General  Hamilton,  requested  time  for  a  reply,  urging 
as  a  reason  that  General  Hamilton  was  anxious  to  close 
up  certain  legal  cases  with  which  he  was  connected ;  that 
the  session  of  the  court  would  soon  close,  and  that  he 
trusted  Colonel  Burr  would  be  willing  to  consent  to  the 
postponement  under  the  circumstances.  Van  Ness  com 
municated  with  Burr,  and  the  latter  willingly  consented 
to  allowing  the  time  requested. 

On  Friday,  the  sixth  of  July,  the  circuit  being 
closed,  Mr.  Pendleton  informed  Mr.  Van  Ness  that 
General  Hamilton  would  be  ready  at  any  time  after  the 
Sunday  following. 

On  Monday,  the  ninth,  preliminaries  were  arranged 
by  the  seconds,  and  the  time  of  the  meeting  fixed  for 
seven  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  Wednesday,  July 
eleventh,  the  place  selected  being  Weehawken  Heights, 
about  three  miles  above  Hoboken  on  the  Jersey 
side  of  the  Hudson  River,  a  famous  resort  for  duel 
lists. 

On  Monday  evening,  Judge  Van  Ness  called  upon 
Colonel  Burr  and  gave  him  a  full  account  of  his  inter 
view  with  Judge  Pendleton.  Burr  listened  attentively 
and  during  the  recital  made  notes  covering,  the  details 
of  the  arrangements  which  had  been  concluded  between 
the  seconds. 

"  I  hope,  Colonel  Burr,"  said  Van  Ness,  "  that  you 
are  satisfied  with  the  way  I  have  conducted  the  some 
what  lengthy  and,  to  a  marked  degree,  vexatious  nego 
tiations.  It  was  always  hard  for  me  to  deal  with  a  man 
who  is  not  willing  to  come  to  the  point.  I  dislike  verbi 
age  and  delay,  but  I  knew  from  the  first  that  in 
dealing  with  Hamilton  we  should  have  to  contend 
with  both." 

"  My  good  friend,"  replied  Burr,  "  your  services 
have  been  of  inestimable  value  to  me,  and  I  cannot  find 
words  to  assure  you  how  much  I  appreciate  them.  There 


60  BLENNERHASSETT 

is  no  doubt  in  your  mind,  I  hope,  Van  Ness,  as  to  the 
propriety  and  justice  of  the  step  I  am  taking." 

"  Not  at  all,"  replied  his  friend.  "  You  are  well 
enough  acquainted  with  me,  Burr,  to  know  that  if  I 
thought  you  were  in  the  wrong,  I  should  have  said  so 
long  ago.  I  might  have  had  some  difficulty  in  putting 
so  obstinate  and  determined  a  man  as  yourself  on  what 
I  considered  the  right  track,  but  I  should  have  tried,  just 
the  same." 

Burr  smiled  and  said,  "  It  is  the  honesty  and  faith 
fulness  of  such  a  friendship  that  constitutes  its  great 
value.  The  opinion  of  those  friends  who  continually 
pat  me  on  the  back  and  cry  good  fellow  is  of  little  weight 
with  me,  but  the  friend  who  challenges  my  views  and 
opposes  my  opinions  with  arguments  and  authorities  is 
entitled  to  my  respect,  and  I  hope  I  shall  always  pay 
due  deference  to  such  honest  opinions." 

At  this  juncture,  a  loud  knock  was  heard  at  the 
front  door.  A  moment  later,  John  entered  the  library 
and  announced  a  visitor  in  the  person  of  Mr.  John 
Swartwout.  Burr  told  the  servant  to  admit  him.  Dur 
ing  the  short  interval  which  preceded  Mr.  Swartwout's 
entrance,  Van  Ness  said  to  Burr,  in  a  low  voice, 

"  I  have  an  idea.  Have  you  any  objections  to  tell 
ing  Swartwout  ?  He  is  as  true  as  steel.  Let's  ask  him 
for  his  judgment  on  this  correspondence,  but  do  not 
tell  him  the  whole  truth  until  we  get  his  opinion." 

"  Agreed,"  said  Burr.  Then  they  both  arose  to 
greet  the  visitor. 

After  a  rambling  conversation  relating  to  general 
matters  of  more  or  less  interest  and  importance  to  the 
three  friends,  Van  Ness  remarked, 

"  Swartwout,  we  have  a  puzzle  for  you.  Our  friend, 
Burr,  here,  you  know,  is  always  getting  into  trouble. 
We  know  it  is  not  his  fault  but  the  other  fellow's  fault. 
Now,  do  not  be  surprised  at  what  I  am  going  to  say, 
but  our  friend,  the  Colonel,  may  have  to  send  a  chal- 


THE  CHALLENGE  61 

lenge  to  a  certain  party  who  has  been  abusing  him 
secretly.  Do  not  try  to  guess  who  it  is." 

As  he  spoke,  he  raised  a  warning  finger  and  shook  it 
at  Swartwout.  Van  Ness  continued, 

"  A  long  correspondence  has  taken  place  within  the 
past  ten  or  twelve  days,  between  the  Colonel  and  his 
probable  antagonist.  I  have  acted  as  Colonel  Burr's 
friend  in  communication  with  the  other  principal  and 
his  friend.  I  have  the  correspondence  here."  He  took 
from  his  pocket  a  bundle  of  letters.  "  Now,  I  have 
proposed  to  the  Colonel,  and  he  agrees  to  my  sugges 
tion,  to  read  these  letters  to  you,  omitting  names,  and 
ask  your  opinion  on  certain  points." 

"  But  I  am  no  judge,"  replied  Swartwout.  "  Would 
it  not  be  a  better  plan  for  you  to  act  as  judge,  Van 
Ness,  and  let  me  read  some  of  the  letters  ?  " 

"  The  reason,  my  dear  Swartwout,  that  you  are 
selected  to  pass  judgment  upon  this  correspondence  is 
because  you  are  not  a  judge,  so  far  as  a  seat  upon  the 
bench  is  concerned,  and  for  that  reason  you  will  be 
more  likely  to  decide  the  matters  in  dispute  on  the  basis 
of  justice  and  equity  than  if  you  were  simply  an  adept 
in  points  of  law  and  legal  procedure,  as  I  am,  if  I  may 
be  allowed  to  compliment  myself." 

"  I  am  ready  to  do  anything  to  aid  Colonel  Burr  and 
you,"  said  Mr.  Swartwout. 

Van  Ness  assorted  the  letters,  giving  to  Colonel 
Burr  those  written  by  himself,  while  he  retained  those 
written  by  General  Hamilton  and  Judge  Pendleton. 

"  Now,"  said  Van  Ness,  "  Swartwout,  take  a  sheet 
of  paper  and  a  pen  and  write  down  these  points  upon 
which  we  shall  ask  your  decision  on  the  letters,  after 
they  have  been  read.  You  will  also  need  paper  to 
make  your  judicial  notes  upon  during  the  reading  of 
each  communication." 

"  I  am  ready,"  replied  Swartwout. 

"  The  points  are  these,"  said  Van  Ness.     "  First.  In 


62  BLENNERHASSETT 

the  language  assumed  to  have  been  used  by  Colonel 
Burr's  antagonist,  did  the  latter  exceed  the  latitude  al 
lowed  in  political  discussion.  Second.  Was  Colonel 
Burr  warranted,  as  a  gentleman,  in  demanding  an  ex 
planation,  an  apology,  or  both?  Third.  Has  Colonel 
Burr's  antagonist,  or  his  second  in  this  correspondence, 
given  Colonel  Burr  an  explanation,  apology,  or  both? 
Fourth.  Considering  the  alleged  language  used  by  Col 
onel  Burr's  antagonist  and  the  answers  received  from 
him,  or  his  second,  will  Colonel  Burr  be  justified,  by  the 
code  of  honor  now  existing  or  recognized  by  gentlemen 
as  governing  such  disputes,  in  sending  his  antagonist  a 
challenge  ?  " 

Judge  Van  Ness  had  spoken  slowly  in  order  that  Mr. 
Swartwout  might  write  down  the  questions  to  which  he 
was  -expected  to  give  answers  after  the  reading  of  the 
correspondence.  The  reading  then  began,  Colonel  Burr 
presenting  the  short  letter,  dated  June  eighteenth,  which 
opened  the  correspondence.  He  and  Judge  Van  Ness 
alternated,  reading  slowly  in  order  that  Mr.  Swartwout 
could  make  notes  as  they  proceeded.  Several  times  he 
called  upon  Van  Ness  to  read  over  again  certain  por 
tions  of  his  letters,  Swartwout  stating  that  it  was  hard 
to  discern  the  exact  meaning  as  the  writer  had  evi 
dently  tried  to  cover  it  up  by  an  excess  of  words  and 
tortuous  phrases.  When  the  reading  was  concluded, 
Swartwout  asked, 

"  May  I  take  this  matter  under  consideration  and 
report  to  you  my  decisions,  say  to-morrow  evening?  " 

"  Oh,  no,"  cried  Van  Ness,  "  we  must  know  to-night. 
This  is  an  exigency  which  will  not  allow  of  any 
postponement  such  as  you  mention.  We  will  give 
you  half  an  hour  in  which  to  think  the  matter  over  care 
fully.  Burr  and  I  will  take  a  stroll  through  the  grounds, 
for  the  night  is  a  beautiful  one." 

John  Swartwout  was  an  honest  man ;  he  was  a  great 
friend  of  Colonel  Burr.  In  the  heat  of  political  strife, 


THE  CHALLENGE  63 

he  could  become  a  partisan  but  in  the  .case  now  before 
him  he  decided  to  be  governed  by  a  strict  sense  of  jus 
tice  and  in  no  way  allow  himself  to  be  biased  in  favor 
of  his  friend  and  political  leader,  Colonel  Burr.  It  is  a 
pity  that  there  are  not  more  men  made  of  this  sort  of 
material. 

He  read  the  inquiries  propounded  by  Judge  Van  Ness 
carefully;  then  he  went  through  the  copious  notes 
which  he  had  made  even  more  carefully.  Then  he  arose 
and  walked  up  and  down  the  long  apartment,  weighing 
the  pros  and  cons  in  his  mind.  He  walked  to  the  win 
dow,  which  was  open,  and  looked  out  upon  the  grounds 
flooded  with  moonlight,  and  upon  the  river  which 
spread  like  a  white  sheet  of  silver  before  him.  Seeing 
his  friends  at  no  great  distance,  he  called  out, 

"  The  judge  is  ready  to  give  his  decision." 

A  few  moments  later  the  three  friends  were  once 
more  seated  at  the  great  table  in  the  library. 

"  In  coming  to  a  decision  on  the  case  submitted  to 
me,"  began  Swartwout,  "  as  you  well  know,  I  am  ig 
norant  of  the  name  and  social  position  of  Colonel  Burr's 
antagonist.  If  these  points  were  known  to  me,  they 
might  or  might  not  have  a  bearing  upon  the  questions 
at  issue.  Certain  language  may  be  used  by  an  inferior 
in  reference  to  one  who  is  his  superior,  which  the  latter 
is  not  justified  in  taking  too  seriously;  the  superior  may 
not  excuse  but  he  can  lament  the  ignorance  or  lack  of 
civility  in  the  person  who  assails  him.  There  are  times, 
too,  when  language  used  by  a  superior  to  an  inferior 
should  not  be  too  strongly  resented  by  the  latter,  for 
there  may  be  circumstances  unknown  to  him  which 
warrant  his  superior  in  taking  the  course  that  he  does, 
and  which  would  preclude  him  from  explaining.  Where 
the  parties  are  of  equal  rank  and  social  position,  these 
qualifications  do  not  apply.  In  making  my  decision  in 
this  matter,  I  have  considered  that  I  am  dealing  with 
equals." 


64  BLENNERHASSETT 

Both  Colonel  ^urr  and  Judge  Van  Ness  appreciated 
the  distinctions  mentioned  by  Swartwout,  but  neither 
by  word  nor  look  did  they  intimate  to  him  whether  his 
decision  was  correct  or  otherwise. 

"  To  the  first  inquiry  propounded  by  Judge  Van 
Ness,"  said  Swartwout,  "  I  decide  that  the  language 
used  was  outside  of  the  latitude  which  is  considered 
allowable  in  political  contests.  I  mean  by  this,  it  was 
not  allowable  to  use  it  in  the  way  in  which  it  was  used. 
If  it  had  been  printed  in  a  newspaper,  with  the  author's 
name  attached,  or  if  it  had  been  spoken  from  the  hus 
tings  by  the  orator  himself,  it  would  not  have  been  so 
reprehensible,  but  used  in  the  manner  in  which  it  was, 
it  savors  of  and  reminds  one  of  those  days  in  the  history 
of  Venice  when  bravos,  with  masks  upon  their  faces, 
stole  up  behind  their  victims  and  stabbed  them  in  the 
back.  In  deciding  the  second  inquiry,  I  am  necessarily 
much  influenced  by  my  answer  to  the  first.  The  lan 
guage  being  a  covert  attack;  made  from  under  cover, 
as  it  is,  requires  both  an  explanation  and  an  apology. 
If, — but  the  testimony  submitted  does  not  settle  that 
point, — the  party  who  wrote  the  letter  containing  the 
language  complained  of,  did  it  at  the  suggestion  of  the 
one  who  now  becomes  the  principal  in  the  affair,  the 
necessity  of  a  full  explanation  and  ample  apology  is 
more  than  ever  apparent. 

"  My  answer  to  the  third  inquiry  must  be  in  the  nega 
tive.  I  do  not  find  in  the  letters  written  by  Colonel 
Burr's  antagonist,  or  by  the  latter's  second,  any  in 
timation  of  a  willingness  to  explain  or  apologize  for  the 
language  complained  of  in  Colonel  Burr's  first  com 
munication.  I  notice  a  marked  determination  to  avoid 
that  question  and  to  make  it  appear,  as  shown  by  his 
first  reply  to  Colonel  Burr,  that  Colonel  Burr  has  asked 
for  a  great  deal  more  than  he  really  did  ask  for  in  his 
first  letter.  Then,  having  set  up  this  statement  of 
affairs  as  though  it  had  emanated  from  Colonel  Burr, 


THE  CHALLENGE  65 

he  proceeds  to  refuse  to  accede  to  it;  in  other  words, 
instead  of  answering  Colonel  Burr's  express  inquiry,  he 
greatly  enlarges  the  inquiry,  and  then  refuses  to  reply 
to  the  inquiry  which  he  has  himself  enlarged.  Again, 
having  apparently  justified  himself  in  his  own  mind 
for  not  answering  fully  a  wide  inquiry,  when  the  request 
had  been  that  he  would  answer  a  simple  one,  he  inti 
mates  that  if  Colonel  Burr  is  not  satisfied  with  the 
answer  he  has  made  to  an  inquiry  which  Colonel  Burr 
had  not  made  of  him,  that  he  is  prepared  to  bear  the 
consequences.  This  latter  language  I  can  interpret 
in  no  other  way  than  to  mean  that  if  Colonel  Burr  chal 
lenges,  he  will  accept  the  challenge. 

"  Under  these  circumstances,  it  becomes  easy  for  me 
to  answer  the  fourth  question,  although  I  must  say  I 
make  the  decision  with  great  reluctance.  Of  my  own 
free  will,  I  would  be  the  last  man  to  advise  my  friend, 
Colonel  Burr,  to  imperil  his  life  when  the  future  has,  I 
hope,  so  much  of  greatness  and  happiness  in  store  for 
him,  but  I  fancy  that  Colonel  Burr  has  already  made  up 
his  mind.  If  he  is  determined  to  challenge  his  antago 
nist,  and  my  opinion  agrees  with  his,  I  cannot  blame 
myself  if  my  decision  results  in  a  duel.  If,  on  the  other 
hand,  my  opinion  should  run  counter  to  his,  there  will 
be  some  hope  left  that  further  discussion  and  considera 
tion  of  the  matter  may  result  in  an  amicable  adjustment. 
I  will  not  ask  Colonel  Burr  if  he  has  reached  a  decision, 
but  will  simply  declare  that,  in  my  own  mind,  he  is  fully 
warranted  in  sending  a  challenge  to  the  person  who  is 
known  only  to  me  by  the  offensive  language  which  he 
has  used  to  my  friend,  and  for  which,  in  my  opinion, 
he  has  refused  that  reparation  which  a  gentleman  of 
honor  should  have  willingfy  offered." 

Van  Ness  sprang  to  his  feet  and  grasped  Swartwout 
by  the  hand. 

"  John,"  he  cried,  "  you  have  mistaken  your  voca 
tion.  I  never  listened  to  a  better  summing  up  of  a 


66  BLENNERHASSETT 

case  and  a  more  lucid  and  just  decision  from  the  bench 
in  my  life.  You  should  have  been  a  judge.  You  are 
better  fitted  to  sit  on  the  bench  than  I  am." 

"  Thank  you,  judge,"  was  the  reply,  "  I  have  tried  to 
do  my  duty  to  my  great  friend,  Colonel  Burr." 

"  And  you  have  succeeded,  Swartwout,"  cried  Burr, 
as  he  in  turn  grasped  his  friend's  hand  and  shook  it 
warmly. 

"  But  you  have  not  told  me,"  said  Swartwout,  "  does 
my  decision  agree  with  the  conclusion  to  which  you  two 
gentlemen  have  come  ?  " 

"  Exactly!  "  answered  Van  Ness.  "  I  delivered  the 
challenge  this  morning,  and  the  meeting  was  arranged 
for  Wednesday  morning,  at  seven  o'clock,  at  Wee- 
hawken  Heights.  You  must  come  with  us,  John." 

"  And  Colonel  Burr  is  to  meet " 

"  General  Alexander  Hamilton,"  said  Van  Ness. 

Swartwout  remained  speechless  for  a  moment,  then 
he  said  in  a  slow,  deliberate  manner, 

"  Colonel  Burr,  if  you  should  be  so  unfortunate  as 
to  kill  General  Hamilton,  it  would  not  avenge  one- 
tenth  of  the  injuries  that  you  have  suffered  at  his  hands 
since  you  first  knew  him." 


CHAPTER  VIII 

HUMAN  TIGERS 

THE  pistol-shot  had  been  fired  from  the  top  of 
the  mountain  as  Cheetham  had  suggested. 
That  pistol-shot  was  Doctor  Cooper's  letter 
which  duly  appeared  and  was  widely  copied  by  all  the 
newspapers  antagonistic  to  Colonel  Burr.  That  Burr 
had  not  seen  it  sooner  was  due  to  his  peculiar  nature. 
He  cared  nothing  for  the  attacks  made  upon  him  by  his 
political  enemies,  and  even  after  reading  the  extracts 
from  Doctor  Cooper's  letter,  enclosed  by  Judge  Van 
Ness,  he  would  have  dropped  the  matter  had  it  not  been 
for  the  statements  contained  in  the  deposition  taken  by 
Van  Ness  from  the  lips  of  the  dying  man,  and  officially 
attested  by  the  judge  himself.  The  dreadful  conse 
quences  of  that  pistol-shot  from  the  mountain  top  are 
yet  to  be  realized. 

Cheetham,  as  he  had  agreed,  did  his  work  in  the 
depths  of  the  valley.  He  carried  out  his  promise  to  the 
letter.  Bitter  invectives  against  Colonel  Burr  ap 
peared  in  each  issue  of  the  American  Citizen.  On 
election  day,  at  every  polling  place  throughout  the 
State,  the  promised  handbill  was  displayed,  and  the 
coarseness  and  brutality  of  the  language  have  never 
been  surpassed  in  any  American  election  contest.  Many 
would-be,  but  faint-hearted,  supporters  of  Colonel  Burr 
were  terrified  by  this  onslaught.  Burr's  friends  could 
only  deny  and  denounce  it  verbally;  there  was  no  time 
in  which  to  counteract  its  effect  by  printers'  ink,  that 
most  potent  agent  in  political  affairs. 

67 


68  BLENNERHASSETT 

The  result  is  well  known.  Burr  polled  twenty-eight 
thousand  votes  while  his  competitor  had  thirty-five 
thousand,  or  a  majority  of  seven 'thousand.  A  change 
of  thirty-six  hundred  ballots  would  have  made  Aaron 
Burr  governor  of  New  York  and  the  next  president  of 
the  United  States!  More  than  that  number  of  voters 
who  had  intended  to  vote  for  Colonel  Burr  were  un 
doubtedly  influenced  at  the  last  moment  by  this  false 
and  libelous  handbill  to  cast  their  ballots  for  his  op 
ponent.  As  Cheetham  had  truly  told  Hamilton,  the 
God-fearing  farmers  rallied  to  the  support  of  the  home 
when  so  direct  an  assertion  was  made  that  its  purity 
was  menaced. 

When  the  result  of  the  election  was  definitely  an 
nounced  to  Burr,  he  accepted  it  with  his  usual  equanim 
ity.  He  thanked  his  friends  for  their  earnest  efforts 
in  his  behalf,  but  neither  by  voice  nor  pen  did  he  ex 
press  any  opinion  of,  or  resentment  for  the  disgraceful 
tactics  of  his  opponents.  To  his  daughter  Theodosia, 
who  was  in  South  Carolina,  he  wrote  simply :  "  The 
election  was  lost  by  a  large  majority.  So  much  the 
better."  When  he  penned  those  last  words  he  had, 
undoubtedly,  in  his  own  mind,  renounced  all  hope  of 
future  political  preferment  in  the  United  States.  But 
for  that  pistol-shot  from  the  mountain  top,  and  the  dep 
osition  of  the  dying  man,  Colonel  Burr  would  prob 
ably  have  renounced  politics,  have  given  all  his  time 
and  attention  to  his  profession,  and  have  lived  and  died 
an  honored  and  respected  citizen.  Oh !  the  irony  of 
fate,  when  such  base  tools  as  Cheetham  can  so  easily 
change  the  course  of  human  events  and  so  greatly  affect 
the  history  of  a  mighty  nation. 

General  Hamilton's  country  house,  "  The  Grange," 
was  in  those  days  considered  to  be  far  out  of  town. 
At  the  present  time,  it  would  still  be  up  town,  having 
been  located  on  what  is  now  called  Convent  Avenue, 
between  I42nd  and  i43rd  Streets.  On  the  morning 


HUMAN  TIGERS  69 

of  the  tenth  of  July,  the  day  before  the  duel,  General 
Hamilton  might  have  been  discovered,  attired  in  a 
suit  of  homespun,  at  •  work  in  his  garden.  With  the 
help  of  his  gardener,  he  was  engaged  in  setting  out  a 
row  of  thirteen  gum  trees  to  commemorate  the  thir 
teen  original  States  in  the  Union. 

Those  little  saplings  flourished  and  waxed  strong  and 
became  mighty  trees.  For  nearly  a  century  they  stood, 
giving  shade  and  shelter  to  weary  man  and  tired  beast. 
In  the  summer  of  1899,  it  was  decided  that  they  stood 
in  the  way  of  contemplated  real  estate  improvements 
and  they  were  obliged  to  succumb  to  the  axe  and  the 
cross-cut  saw.  But  although  the  trees  have  fallen,  the 
Union,  of  which  they  were  the  symbol,  still  lives;  al 
though  the  man  who  planted  the  trees  was  never  satis 
fied  with  the  form  of  government  which  he  had  done  so 
much,  in  spite  of  himself,  to  provide;  and  although  he 
never  .imagined  nor  wished  that  the  original  American 
Constitution  would  outlast  his  own  lifetime,  the  Union 
still  survives. 

While  engaged  in  the  pleasing  and  honorable  work 
of  arboriculture,  his  ear  caught  the  sound  of  an  ap 
proaching  vehicle,  and  looking  up,  he  saw  that  his 
visitor  was  the  man,  whom,  least  of  all,  he  desired  to 
see.  It  was  Cheetham.  Turning  to  the  gardener, 
Hamilton  gave  him  some  directions  in  a  low  voice,  and 
the  man  trudged  off  toward  the  barn. 

"  Glad  we  are  alone,  General,"  said  Cheetham, 
alighting  from  his  chaise,  and  approaching  his  politi 
cal  master.  "  I  haven't  had  a  good  chance  to  con 
gratulate  you  since  election  day.  That  handbill  did 
the  work,  didn't  it?  I  suppose  that  letter  of  Cooper's 
was  your  little  pistol-shot.  Well,  I  think  we  both 
ought  to  be  proud  of  the  fact  that  we  have  driven 
Burr  out  of  the  field  and  need  fear  no  further  harm 
from  him." 

Approaching  Cheetham  still  closer,  Hamilton  asked 


70  BLENNERHASSETT 

in  a  low  voice,  "Can  you  keep  a  secret  for  twenty-four 
hours,  Cheetham?" 

"  I  can  if  I'm  paid  for  it,"  said  the  mercenary 
scoundrel  with  a  cunning  leer  in  his  face. 

"  The  fact  that  you  are  the  only  one  who  possesses 
the  secret  will  be  worth  a  great  deal  to  you  in  twenty- 
four  hours." 

"  Agreed,"  said  Cheetham. 

Hamilton  continued :  "  You  are  wrong,  Cheetham, 
in  thinking  that  Colonel  Burr  has  lost  all  power  to 
harm  you  and  me." 

"  What's  he  up  to  now  ?  "  queried  Cheetham,  some 
what  apprehensively. 

Hamilton  replied  solemnly :  "  That  pistol-shot  from 
the  mountain  top  means  more  pistol-shots  upon  the 
field  of  honor." 

"Great  God!"  cried  Cheetham,  "has  Burr  chal 
lenged  you  ?  " 

"  We  meet  to-morrow  morning,"  replied  Hamilton, 
"  that  is  the  secret  you  must  swear  to  keep,  Cheetham," 
— he  looked  at  his  watch — "  until  ten  o'clock  to 
morrow." 

"  I  swear,"  said  Cheetham,  "  but,  General,  I  envy 
you  your  possibilities.  If  I  could  but  take  your  place, 
I  would  do  it  willingly.  If  I  could  rid  the  earth  of 
Aaron  Burr,  I  should  be  satisfied." 

"  If  you  got  well  paid  for  it,"  said  Hamilton,  with 
a  laugh;  but  seeing  an  ugly  look  creeping  over  his 
visitor's  face,  he  added,  "  Pardon  me,  Cheetham,  it  was 
but  a  pleasantry,  but  an  untimely  one.  If  I  die  at 
Colonel  Burr's  hands,  I  shall  expect  you  to  avenge  my 
death." 

'''  You  may  depend  upon  me,  General,"  said  Cheet 
ham,  somewhat  gloomily,  as  he  shook  hands  with  him. 
Then  he  jumped  into  his  chaise,  turned  quickly  about, 
and  drove  at  a  violent  pace  from  the  grounds.  As  he 
neared  the  gate,  he  was  obliged  to  pull  up  quickly  in 


HUMAN  TIGERS  71 

order  to  allow  the  ingress  of  a  chaise  containing  an 
other  visitor.  Cheetham  recognized  Van  Ness  and 
Van  Ness  knew  Cheetham.  Neither  of  the  men  bowed 
nor  spoke. 

At  a  safe  distance  from  the  house,  Cheetham  solilo 
quized  :  "  If  Burr  kills  Hamilton  and  I  kill  Burr,  then 
Van  Ness  will  kill  me.  No ;  I  think  I'd  better  stick  to 
my  printing  office  and  my  paper  and  let  these  fools  of 
politicians  do  their  own  righting.  What  an  ass 
Hamilton  was  to  drag  Cooper  into  this  business.  He 
might  have  written  it  himself,  as  he  has  done  so  many 
times  before,  and  never  been  found  out." 

Hamilton  awaited  the  approach  of  Van  Ness,  whom 
he  had  recognized.  As  Van  Ness  pulled  up  his  horse, 
the  General  asked  with  an  evident  attempt  to  adopt  a 
familiar  tone,  "  You  met  Cheetham  as  you  came  in?  " 

"  I  was  obliged  to  pass  him,"  replied  Van  Ness 
coldly. 

Hamilton,  seeming  to  think  some  explanation  neces 
sary,  continued :  "  Cheetham  saw  me  at  work  in  the 
garden  and  drove  in  to  see  what  I  was  about." 

"  These  inopportune  meetings  are  often  as  advan 
tageous  to  all  parties  concerned  as  prearranged  ones," 
rejoined  Van  Ness,  while  a  sarcastic  smile  played  over 
his  features. 

Hamilton  instantly  assumed  an  air  of  severe  dignity 
as  he  said,  "  Our  present  meeting  is  not  opportune  and 
certainly  not  prearranged.  Under  the  circumstances,  I 
had  a  right  to  pass  this  day  undisturbed.  I  presume 
you  have  come  from  Colonel  Burr." 

Van  Ness,  who  had  alighted  and  approached  Hamil 
ton,  replied,  "  General,  I  come  here  of  my  own  free 
will,  without  the  knowledge  of  Colonel  Burr." 

Hamilton  again  drew  himself  up  and  with  great 
dignity  said :  "  I  am  not  aware  that  there  is  any  reason 
why  I  should  listen  to  any  personal  communication 
from  Mr.  Van  Ness.  My  controversy  is  with  Colonel 


72  BLENNERHASSETT 

Burr,  and  I  have  no  desire  to  add  to  it  an  altercation 
with  his  second." 

Van  Ness  was  a  man  of  marked  force  of  character. 
There  was  in  him  a  certain  savagery  born  of  his  great 
physical  strength  and  active  temperament,  and  it  was 
with  difficulty  that  he  restrained  his  temper  when 
Hamilton  concluded  his  speech,  but  with  great  exertion 
he  did  so. 

"  I  think,  General,"  he  continued,  "  that  I  can  give 
you  a  satisfactory  reason  why  you  should  listen  to  my 
communication  on  my  own  account,  irrespective  of  my 
connection  with  Colonel  Burr.  Did  you  ever  know  a 

person  by  the  name  of ?  "  He  did  not  speak  the 

name  aloud,  but  whispered  it  in  a  low  tone.  The  name 
was  distinctly  audible  to  Hamilton  who  started  back  as 
though  he  had  been  shot. 

"  No,"  answered  Hamilton,  recovering  himself,  "  I 
never  knew  any  such  man." 

"  Your  actions  belie  your  words,"  remarked  Van 
Ness,  while  a  cynical  smile  played  upon  his  face.  "  Per 
haps  I  can  state  the  matter  more  truthfully  if  I  say  that 
you  once  knew  him  when  he  was  of  service  to  you,  but 
that  lately,  when  you  do  not  need  him,  you  have  for 
gotten  him." 

"  Let  him  remain  forgotten  then,"  replied  Hamilton. 
"  I  have  no  desire  to  talk  to  you  about  him.  If  he 
wishes  to  see  me,  let  him  do  so.  I  see  no  reason  why 
you  should  become  his  spokesman." 

"  Well  I  do,"  remarked  Van  Ness,  "  for  the  very 
reason  that  he  has  no  one  else  to  speak  for  him;  in 
fact,  he  cannot  speak  for  himself  for  he  has  been  dead 
nearly  a  week.  I  see  that  I  have  given  you  some  pleasr 
ant  news,  General  Hamilton.  You  are  glad  to  learn 
that  he  is  dead.  Perhaps  you  remember  those  well- 
known  lines,  '  the  evil  that  men  do  lives  after  them.' 
I  am  afraid  it  is  so  in  the  case  of  our  friend.  His  past 
deeds,  or  misdeeds,,  to  call  them  by  their  true  name,  no 


HUMAN  TIGERS  73 

doubt  preyed  upon  his  mind  as  his  end  approached,  and 
he  sent  for  Colonel  Burr.  He  was  a  shrewd  man, 
was  he  not,  to  send  for  Colonel  Burr  ?  "  As  he  said 
this,  a  savage  expression  spread  over  his  face.  "  He 
knew  that  you  would  not  listen  to  him,  General,  and 
so  he  sent  for  our  friend  Burr.  .Unfortunately,  the 
Colonel  was  out  of  town  on  an  important  law  case,  but 
the  messenger  said  that  a  dying  man  wished  to  make  a 
deposition  and  so  he  was  advised  to  call  upon  me. 
Fortunate,  wasn't  it,  General?  I  was  in  town,  it  so 
happened,  and  I  went  to  take  the  deposition.  It  was 
most  interesting.  You  ought  to  have  been  there. 
Things  that  you  have  forgotten  long  ago  would  have 
been  called  back  to  your  memory,  I  have  no  doubt,  but 
I  remember  them  and  it  will  give  me  great  pleasure  to 
refresh  your  recollection  on  any  points  that  you  may 
have  forgotten." 

Hamilton  was  speechless.  What  could  he  say?  He 
knew  the  man ;  he  knew  him  when  he  was  in  the  army ; 
he  knew  that  he  had  been  his  tool,  and  that  whatever 
he  wished  done  in  a  secret  way  had  been  skilfully  per 
formed,  and  without  price,  for  the  man  himself  was 
well-to-do.  He  had  not  cared  for  money,  but  for  politi 
cal  or  rather  official  advancement ;  he  was  a  man  with  a 
past,  he  desired  to  bury  it,  to  outlive  it,  and  by  the 
closing  acts  of  his  life  to  secure  a  character  and  reputa 
tion  by  which  he  would  be  judged  after  his  death. 
Hamilton  had  used  him  until  he  was  of  no  further  ser 
vice  to  him.  The  financial  troubles  of  the  country  had 
reduced  the  man  almost  to  poverty,  but  Hamilton  would 
not  lift  his  hand  to  aid  him  in  any  way,  in  fact,  he  did 
not  recognize  him  when  they  met.  These  thoughts 
flashed  through  his  mind  as  he  stood  and  looked 
vacantly  at  Van  Ness.  The  latter  spoke  again. 

"  It  is  unnecessary,  General  Hamilton,  for  me  to 
repeat  to  you  the  contents  of  that  deposition,  or  the 
contents  of  many  letters  and  private  papers,  or  rather 


74  BLENNERHASSETT 

copies  of  them,  all  of  which  the  dying  man  placed  in 
my  hands.  I  have  had  the  pleasure  of  looking  them  over 
with  Colonel  Burr,  and  I  called  to  tell  you,  on  my  own 
account,  that  the  duel  which  is  to  take  place  between 
you  and  my  friend,  Colonel  Burr,  could  have  been 
avoided  if  the  reason  for  it  had  been  simply  the  con 
tents  of  Doctor  Cooper's  letter;  but  with  the  knowledge 
obtained  from  the  lips  of  the  dying  man,  you  can  see 
that  Colonel  Burr  has  abundant  reason  for  meeting 
not  one  General  Hamilton,  but  a  dozen  of  them,  if  that 
number  of  such  gentlemen  could  be  found  in  the  world." 

There  was  a  sting  of  sarcasm  in  the  words  and  in 
the  manner  in  which  they  were  spoken.  They  cut 
Hamilton,  and,  turning  to  Van  Ness,  he  said,  his  face 
livid  with  rage, 

"  Why  do  you  say  this  ?  What  do  you  mean  to  do 
with  those  papers?  Are  they  to  be  published?  But 
we  cannot  continue  this  conversation  so  publicly.  We 
shall  attract  the  attention  of  my  family,  and,  as  yet, 
they  know  nothing.  Come  with  me  to  that  summer- 
house  and  we  will  finish  this  matter." 

The  summer-house  referred  to  opened  upon  a  large 
lawn  and  was  so  situated  that  its  occupants  could  not 
be  seen  from  the  windows  of  The  Grange  nor  from  the 
road.  Van  Ness  tethered  his  horse  and  followed  the 
General. 

Within  the  summer-house  were  a  long  bench  and 
two  rustic  chairs,  one  of  which  Hamilton  took  while 
Van  Ness  threw  himself  carelessly  into  the  other.  A 
soft  breeze,  perfumed  with  the  odor  of  roses  and  other 
flowers,  blew  in  the  heated  faces  of  the  disputants.  The 
same  breeze  agitated  the  mass  of  vines  and  creepers 
that  covered  and,  in  fact,  made  this  retreat,  and  they 
danced  merrily  in  the  sunlight.  Above  and  around 
them  could  be  heard  the  songs  of  birds.  Outwardly,  all 
was  peaceful,  but  within  the  hearts  of  the  two  men  who 


HUMAN  TIGERS  75 

sat  facing  each  other  were  passions  worthy  only  of 
beasts  of  prey.  Finally  Hamilton  spoke  and  repeated 
his  former  question. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  with  those  papers  ?  Do 
you  mean  to  publish  them  ?  " 

Van  Ness  leaned  back  in  his  chair  and  said,  "  Calm 
yourself,  General,  that  depends  on  this  meeting  that 
is  to  take  place  between  you  and  my  friend,  the  Colonel. 
There  are  many  possible  results.  For  instance,  you 
might  fire  at  each  other  a  number  of  times  and 
neither  of  you  be  injured.  In  such  a  case,  I  think  it 
would  be  expedient  to  publish  the  papers.  Your 
friends,  you  know,  General,  will  claim  that  Colonel 
Burr  desired  to  meet  you  because  you  are  his  rival; 
that  he  has  a  dislike  for  you  based  upon  no  good 
foundation.  I  think  the  publication  of  the  papers  will 
convince  the  public  that  Colonel  Burr  is  justified  in 
seeking  a  meeting  with  you.  Now  it  may  occur,"  con 
tinued  Van  Ness,  "  that  as  a  result  of  the  encounter, 
Colonel  Burr  may  be  wounded,  not  mortally ;  it  may  be 
only  slightly,  or  perhaps,  seriously.  In  either  case,  I 
think  the  publication  of  these  papers  is  demanded  for 
reasons  already  given.  It  may  be,  which  God  forbid, 
that  my  friend  may  fall  at  your  hand;  in  such  a  case, 
left  to  my  own  view  of  the  situation  I  should  publish  the 
papers.  The  vindication  of  the  character  and  reputa 
tion  of  my  friend  would  require  it.  Now  let  us  look 
at  the  other  end  of  the  field.  It  may  be  that  you  may 
be  slightly  or  seriously  injured  at  the  hands  of  Colonel 
Burr ;  in  such  a  case,  publication  of  the  papers  would 
seem  to  be  demanded  as  a  justification  for  the  action 
taken  by  Burr  in  forcing  a  meeting  with  you.  Now 
let  us  suppose  that  you  fall." 

"  In  such  a  case  Colonel  Burr  would,  no  doubt,  con 
sider  that  the  publication  of  the  papers  was  needed  for 
his  justification,"  cried  Hamilton. 


j6  BLENNERHASSETT 

"  There  you  are  wrong,  General,"  continued  Van 
Ness,  "  as  you  usually  are  when  you  attempt  to  divine 
the  probable  course  of  conduct  of  a  true  gentleman. 
In  such  a  case,  Cofonel  Burr  has  assured  me,  that  the 
deposition  and  papers  will  be  sealed  up,  deposited  with 
some  responsible  and  reliable  person,  and  that  the  eyes 
of  no  one  of  the  present  generation  shall  look  upon 
them.  In  case  of  your  death  at  his  hands,  he  will  ask 
for  no  justification  in  the  eyes  of  the  public." 

Hamilton  sank  back  into  his  chair.  This  was  not 
what  he  had  anticipated.  As  Van  Ness  had  stated,  it 
was  impossible  for  a  nature  like  his  to  truly  estimate 
the  probable  action  of  a  gentleman  actuated  by  a  fine 
sense  of  honor  in  a  position  like  this.  He  felt  his  situ 
ation  keenly.  Van  Ness  arose. 

"  Can  I  bear  any  communication  from  you  to  my 
friend,  Colonel  Burr  ?  " 

"  No,"  replied  Hamilton,  decisively. 

Van  Ness  reached  the  door  of  the  summer-house. 
"  I  will  not  detain  you  longer,  General,  because  I  think 
you  should  have  the  remaining  time  in  which  to  attend 
to  your  personal  affairs ;  for,  let  me  say  it,  I  do  not 
believe  a  just  Heaven  will  allow  you  any  longer  to 
continue  the  anonymous,  secret,  scurrilous,  and  mean 
attacks  that  for  twenty  years  you  have  made  upon  the 
character  of  my  friend,  Colonel  Burr.  I  am  now  going 
to  call  upon  your  friend,  Mr.  Pendleton,"  and  with 
these  words  he  bowed  and  quitted  the  place.  In  a  few 
moments  the  sound  of  his  retreating  vehicle  was  heard. 

Hamilton  arose  and  paced  up  and  down,  his  hands 
clenched,  and  with  a  look  upon  his  face  which  no  living 
man  had  ever  seen  there  before. 

"  My  God !  "  he  cried,  "  it  will  be  best  that  I  should 
die  at  his  hands."  Then  a  smile  came  over  his  face. 
"  But  if  I  meet  a  physical  death,  I  will  leave  behind 
that  which  will  prove  his  political  ruin.  I  am  a  doomed 
man,  but  so  is  Aaron  Burr." 


'CAN    I    BEAR    ANY    COMMUNICATION     FROM     YOU    TO    MY    FRIEND, 
COLONEL    BURR  ?  " 


HUMAN  TIGERS  77 

That  he  kept  his  word  will  be  seen  from  the  contents 
of  the  letter  to  the  American  public  which  he  wrote 
that  night,  and  which  was  found  in  his  desk  after  his 
death. 


CHAPTER   IX 

LOVERS  AND  ENEMIES 

THE  morning  of  July  n,  1804,  dawned  bright 
and  beautiful.  The  rising  sun  bathed  both 
banks  of  the  Hudson  River  with  its  refulgent 
light.  On  the  East  its  rays  lay  upon  the  city  of  New 
York,  once  proud  of  its  Dutch  settlers,  later  on  prouder 
still  of  its  British  victors,  and  now  prouder  than  ever 
of  its  American  conquerors.  The  lower  part  of  the 
city  was  thickly  settled,  indicating  that  the  mercantile 
and  shipping  business  was  concentrated  in  that  quarter. 
Farther  up  the  island  were  thousands  of  acres  of  well- 
tilled  land  dotted  here  and  there  with  humble  cottages, 
more  pretentious  houses,  and  commanding  looking 
mansions.  It  was  in  reality  a  city  in  the  country. 

On  the  western  side  of  the  river,  a  different  picture 
met  the  eye.  There  were  not  those  indications  of  a 
populous  community.  The  hand  of  man  had  not  trans 
formed  the  face  of  Nature  to  such  a  marked  extent  as 
it  had  done  on  the  eastern  side.  To  be  sure  there  were 
indications  of  future  municipalities,  but  they  were  in 
the  shape  of  small  and  irregularly  laid  out  towns  not 
worthy,  as  yet,  of  the  name  of  cities. 

About  three  miles  above  one  of  these  sparsely-settled 
communities  known  by  its  old  Dutch  name  of  Hoboken, 
rose  a  tall  line  of  cliffs  mounting  at  least  one  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  into  the  air,  rejoicing  also  in  a  Dutch 
cognomen — that  of  Weehawken  Heights. 

The  same  rays  from  the  morning  sun  that  lighted  the 
face  of  Nature  and  the  handiwork  of  man,  fell  also 

73 


LOWERS  AND  ENEMIES         79 

upon  that  embodiment  of  God's  highest  form  of  work 
manship — a  beautiful  young  girl.  She  was  standing 
upon  a  projecting  crag  that  hung  over  the  rapidly 
flowing  river,  with  her  face  turned  towards  the  East. 
She  had  been  called  beautiful,  and  she  was  so  in  a  certain 
sense.  It  was  a  physical  beauty  more  than  a  combina 
tion  of  the  physical  with  the  mental  and  spiritual.  She 
had  a  lithe  and  well-developed  figure.  Her  cheeks  were 
ruddy  with  the  glow  of  health;  her  hair  was  dark 
brown,  so  dark,  that  the  portions  thrown  into  shadow 
seemed  almost  black.  There  could  be  no  doubt  about  the 
color  of  her  eyes.  They  were  assuredly  black  and  full  of 
a  fire  that  in  moments  of  excitement  showed  that  she 
could  be  the  truest  of  friends,  or  the  most  determined 
of  foes.  In  complexion  she  was  a  brunette.  Her  lips 
were  full  and  red,  the  lower  one  showing  a  slight  scar 
which  extended  into  the  flesh  below,  contracting  the  lip 
somewhat  and  giving  it  a  peculiar  expression  when, 
from  any  cause,  the  lips  were  firmly  set  together.  She 
was  plainly  dressed  in  what  in  those  days  was  called 
a  calico  gown.  She  wore  no  hat.  Behind  her,  standing 
on  a  rock,  was  a  pail  full  of  milk.  Her  position  in  life 
may,  perhaps,  be  divined  from  this  circumstance.  Yes, 
she  was  but  a  milkmaid;  a  servant  in  the  family  of 
Captain  Horatio  Clarke  who  lived  in  the  farm-house 
situated  nearest  to  the  point  where  she  was  standing. 
In  fact,  this  point  of  land  and  hundreds  of  acres  in 
every  direction  therefrom  formed  part  of  the  estate 
of  that  old  Revolutionary  veteran.  He  was  a  widower 
with  one  son,  Frederic  Clarke. 

The  old  captain  was  a  man  of  the  most  irascible  tem 
per.  It  had  brought  him  into  many  serious  broils  and 
entanglements  during  his  long  career.  He  had  been  a 
participant  in  several  duels  which,  fortunately,  had  not 
ended  seriously  to  either  party.  In  his  old  age,  how 
ever,  the  captain  showed  a  most  marked  antipathy  to  the 
custom  of  duelling  and  to  those  who  engaged  in  it.  He 


8o  BLENNERHASSETT 

had  instilled  his  newly-formed  principles  into  his  son 
who  took  his  advice  and  admonition  as  though  they  had 
formed  part  of  the  Book  of  Books. 

The  old  captain  was  also  noted  for  his  extreme  po 
litical  likes  and  dislikes.  In  his  eyes,  George  Washing 
ton  and  Alexander  Hamilton  were  incarnations  of  all 
that  was  great  and  good  in  man,  and  he  placed  them 
side  by  side  on  the  same  pedestal.  On  the  other  hand, 
he  looked  upon  Aaron  Burr  and  his  political  friends 
as  the  arch  enemies  of  the  country  whose  ambition  was 
to  ruin  it  for  their  own  selfish  ends.  These  political 
ideas  had  also  formed  part  of  Frederic  Clarke's  educa 
tion,  and  hardly  a  week  elapsed  that  the  young  man  was 
not  obliged  to  submit  to  a  political  catechism  to  see  if  he 
was  still  strong  in  the  faith. 

While  the  young  girl,  whose  portrait  has  been  drawn 
in  some  detail,  and  whose  name  was  Kate  Embleton, 
was  still  gazing  out  upon  the  river,  somewhat  ab 
stractedly,  and  unmindful  of  the  errand  upon  which  she 
had  started,  a  young  man  emerged  from  a  small  grove 
of  trees  about  a  hundred  feet  from  where  she  stood,  and 
looked  earnestly  in  every  direction.  Standing  where 
she  did,  Kate  Embleton  was  shrouded  from  his  gaze. 

Satisfied  that  the  object  of  his  search  was  not  in 
sight,  the  young  man,  who  was  Frederic  Clarke,  said 
aloud,  for  he  was  not  afraid  to  have  the  birds  whose 
songs  were  heard  about  him  hear  his  declaration  of 
love, 

"  Where  can  she  be  ?  Can  I  have  missed  her  ?  I 
have  grown  to  love  that  girl  in  spite  of  myself,  and  I 
pass  the  day  in  thinking  of  the  joy  of  seeing  her  alone 
in  the  morning.  Perhaps  I  am  too  early.  I  will  look 
up  the  road." 

This  young  man  who  had  gone  in  search  of  some 
young  lady  with  whom  he  was,  by  his  own  declaration, 
in  love,  was  tall  and  finely  proportioned.  He,  like 
Kate,  was  dark,  even  swarthy.  His  hair  was  unmis- 


LOWERS  AND  ENEMIES         81 

takably  black,  and  he,  too,  had  a  peculiarity  in  his  per 
sonal  appearance  somewhat  akin  to  the  slight  scar  on 
Miss  Embleton's  lip.  In  his  case,  however,  the 
peculiarity  took  a  different  form  and  consisted  in  the 
complete  union  across  the  bridge  of  the  nose,  of  his 
black  and  bushy  eyebrows.  This  showed  him  to  be  a 
young  man  of  strong  character;  one  full  of  determina 
tion,  and  one  likely  to  be  a  fierce  antagonist  in  either 
argument  or  action. 

A  moment  after  Frederic  had  gone  to  continue  his 
search  up  the  road,  Kate,  who  was  either  satisfied  with 
her  view  of  the  beauties  of  the  morning  or  had  remem 
bered  her  almost  forgotten  duty,  entered  upon  the  little 
clearing  where  Frederic  had  so  lately  stood.  There 
must  be  a  strong  predilection  on  the  part  of  lovers  to 
commune  with  themselves  when  they  are  deprived  of 
the  society  of  the  object  of  their  affections.  Kate,  too, 
evidently,  had  no  objection  to  the  birds  hearing  the 
outpourings  of  her  heart,  for  she  soliloquized  as 
Frederic  had  done : 

"  I  have  seen  no  signs  of  him  this  morning.  Only  a 
passing  fancy  of  his  I  suppose.  Rich  farmers'  sons 
don't  usually  make  love  to  their  fathers'  servants — 
but  this  may  be  an  exception.  Frederic — I  mean  Mr. 
Clarke — seems  to  enjoy  my  company,  and  I  don't  sup 
pose  it  would  be  ladylike  to  tell  him  that  I  don't  enjoy 
his — it  would  be  untrue  anyway,  for  the  weight  of  my 
day  of  toil  is  lightened  by  our  cheerful  morning  conver 
sations.  He  isn't  coming,  so  I  will  keep  on  to  Farmer 
Wilkins's." 

As  she  said  this,  she  again  took  up  the  pail  of  milk 
and  started  to  finish  her  errand,  but  she  was  not  des 
tined  to  proceed  on  her  way  uninterrupted.  She  had 
taken  but  a  few  steps  when  Frederic  dashed  into  the 
little  clearing  and  cried, 

"Kate!    Kate!  !" 

The  young  girl  turned  impulsively  as  she  heard  the 


82  BLENNERHASSETT 

tones  of  the  well-known  voice.  Her  lover  con 
tinued  : 

"  Good  morning,  Kate — and  it  is  a  lovely  morning, 
isn't  it?  I  was  afraid  I  had  missed  you,  Kate." 

The  young  girl's  face  assumed  an  expression  of 
either  real  or  pretended  dignity  as  she  rejoined : 

"  Missed  me?  It  would  have  been  more  polite  if  you 
had." 

The  young  man  laughed. 

"  Oh !  you  prefer  to  be  called  Miss  Kate.  I  will  try 
and  be  more  polite.  I  will  call  you  Miss  Embleton  if 
you  will  let  me  take  your  milk-pail  and  walk  with  you 
as  far  as  the  stile." 

Kate  drew  back,  holding  the  milk-pail  beyond  the 
reach  of  her  lover's  extended  hand. 

"  I  don't  know  as  I  shall  allow  any  such  thing.  What 
would  your  father  say  if  he  saw  you  with  the  milk-pail 
on  one  arm " 

With  a  quick  determined  motion  the  young  man 
stepped  forward,  and  grasping  the  handle  of  the  pail, 
took  it  from  the  young  girl's  grasp.  She  was  evidently 
used  to,  and  unable  to  resist  his  forceful  ways.  The 
young  man  completed  her  speech : 

"  And  you  on  the  other." 

As  he  said  this,  he  offered  his  arm  which  Kate  took 
while  a  smile  played  over  her  face.  The  young  man 
continued : 

"  My  father  is  apt  to  take  his  choice  expressions 
from  Scripture." 

The  young  girl  looked  up  and  asked,  "  What  could 
he  find  to  say  to  suit  this  occasion  ?  " 

Frederic  replied :  "  Why,  he  could  say  scripturally, 
that  his  son  was  in  a  land  with  milk  on  one  side" — as  he 
said  this,  he  held  up  the  pail — "  and  honey  on  the  other." 

The  young  girl,  either  really  or  fanciedly,  resented 
this  familiar  speech,  and  taking  the  pail  from  his  hand 
said,  somewhat  petulantly: 


LOWERS  AND  ENEMIES         83 

"  Give  me  my  pail,  Mr.  Clarke.  Keep  such  sweet 
compliments  for  your  future  wife." 

The  young  man  again  grasped  the  handle  of  the 
pail  in  the  same  masterful  way  that  he  had  before 
done,  and  placing  it  upon  the  ground  he  turned  to  the 
young  girl  and  said: 

"  Kate,  I  want  to  talk  to  you,  and  no  nonsense  either. 
Real,  true,  hard  facts,  and  I  want  your  opinion.  Come, 
Miss  Kate,  let  us  sit  down." 

He  led  her  to  a  little  grass-covered  bank  beneath  the 
wide-spreading  branches  of  a  tree  whose  knotty  trunk 
and  gnarled  limbs  showed  that  it  had  long  been  a 
resident  of  this  world,  and  from  its  great  age  was  fitted 
to  become  the  confidant  of  the  lovers  who  sat  beneath 
it.  Kate  spoke  first. 

"  I  don't  know  as  a  young  girl  like  myself,  your 
father's  servant,  should  be  the  confidante  of  a  rich  man's 
son." 

Frederic  replied  with  a  voice  full  of  deep  feeling: 
''  You  are  the  only  woman  who  can  answer  my  ques 
tion,  Kate.  I  had  a  long  talk  with  father  last  night." 

Kate  said  with  a  tinge  of  irony  in  her  voice :  "  I  hope 
you  both  enjoyed  it.  I  rarely  derive  any  pleasure  from 
his  conversations." 

"  It  was  pleasant,"  Frederic  rejoined,  "  for  a  won 
der.  I  told  him  I  had  decided  upon  my  future  course, 
either  to  marry  " — at  this  remark  Kate  started  invol 
untarily — "  or  go  out  and  begin  life  for  myself." 

Kate  looked  up  and  asked  inquiringly,  "  He  thinks 
you  had  better  go  West,  doesn't  he?  " 

Frederic  answered,  "  I  think  he  might  on  general 
principles,  but  when  I  told  him  whom  I  wished  to 
marry  " — this  remark  indicating  that  his  selection  was 
already  made  caused  the  young  girl  to  start  again  and 
to  look  up  inquiringly  into  his  face — "  he  said  he  would 
give  me  the  Cushman  Farm  and  a  thousand  dollars. 
What  do  you  think  of  that?  " 


84  BLENNERHASSETT 

Kate  replied  somewhat  sardonically,  "  Remarkably 
generous  for  him.  But  will  she — the  woman — you — 
what  will  she  say?  " 

Frederic  replied  with  a  meaning  smile, 

"  I  am  going  to  ask  her." 

The  young  girl  turned  her  face  away  and  said :  "  A 
very  sensible  idea.  Take  my  advice  and  do  it  at  once. 
Your  father  may  change  his  mind.  I," —  turning  and 
facing  him,  having  regained  her  composure,  "  I'm  glad, 
Mr.  Clarke,  you  have  found  a  woman — whom  you  love, 
and,"  rising  she  took  up  the  milk-pail,  "  I  hope  she 
will  love  you  and  make  you  a  good  wife." 

As  she  said  this,  she  turned  her  face  away  again.  In 
her  eyes  were  tears  either  of  vexation  or  disappoint 
ment,  but  the  young  man  did  not  see  them.  Then  she 
added  in  a  composed  manner, 

"  I  must  go  now,  Mr.  Clarke." 

Frederic  jumped  to  his  feet,  and  grasped  her  dis^ 
engaged  hand.  As  he  did  this,  he  said  with  a  voice  full 
of  pleasure,  "  Then  you  consent  ?  " 

Kate,  evidently  astonished,  looked  .up.  "  I  ?  What 
have  I  to  do  with  it?  You  said  you  wouldn't  talk 
nonsense." 

Frederic  cried  impulsively,  "  And  I  won't,  Kate. 
Father  says  you  are  a  nice,  honest,  hard-working  girl, 
just  the  one  for  his  money — and  he  would  give  us  his 
blessing — and  Kate,  what  do  you  say?  " 

Kate  took  his  arm  and  dropped  her  head  upon  his 
shoulder,  a  look  of  supreme  satisfaction  and  content 
ment  in  her  face. 

"  Come,  Kate,  I  will  take  the  milk-pail,  for  Farmer 
Wilkins  may  be  waiting  for  his  breakfast ;  but,  remem 
ber,  before  we  reach  the  stile  you  must  say  yes,"  he 
added,  in  that  energetic  way  which  was  so  natural  to 
him. 

^  Kate   said  gravely,    "  We   will   walk   very   slowly, 
Frederic,  for  it  is  a  very  important  question  to  me." 


LOWERS  AND  ENEMIES         85 

Frederic  leaned  over  and  looked  into  her  face.  "  And 
your  answer  will  be  very  important  to  me,  Kate." 

He  placed  her  arm  in  his,  and  pressing  it  close  to 
him,  they  left  the  little  glade,  both  apparently  very 
anxious  that  Farmer  Wilkins  should  not  be  deprived  of 
milk  at  his  morning  meal. 

When  the  two  lovers  had  left  the  scene  of  their  mu 
tual  confidence,  the  little  glade  seemed  deprived  of  much 
of  its  brightness,  but,  if  anything,  the  birds  sang  more 
sweetly  than  before,  for  they  seemed  to  have  been  ob 
servant  and  interested  listeners  to  what  had  trans 
pired. 

But  a  change  was  to  take  place.  This  sylvan  scene 
which  had  been  the  abode  of  lovers  was  to  become  the 
resort  of  enemies.  Their  dreams  were  not  of  future 
love  and  happiness,  but  of  immediate  vengeance  and 
death. 

Two  gentlemen  came  in  sight  and  advanced  rapidly 
towards  the  centre  of  the  clearing.  One,  by  his  meas 
ured  and  determined  movement,  showed  plainly  that  he 
had  had  military  experience.  Their  names  and  their 
errand  may  be  easily  divined.  It  was  Colonel  Aaron 
Burr,  accompanied  by  his  second,  Judge  Van  Ness. 
Van  Ness  broke  the  silence. 

"  We  are  here  first,  Colonel." 

Burr  replied :  "  I  have  always  tried  to  be  the  first 
upon  the  field  of  honor,  and  the  last  to  leave  it." 

"  It  falls  to  us  to  select  the  ground,  Colonel.  Shall 
we  choose  this,  or  look  for  a  better  place?  " 

Burr  glanced  at  the  little  opening  encircled  by  rocks 
and  trees.  Then  he  said: 

"  If  I  were  sure  I  am  to  fall,  I  would  choose  this 
place  to  say  my  farewell  to  earth.  My  opponent  may 
be  more  particular.  We  will  look  farther.  If  we  fare 
no  better  we  shall  yet  be  sure  of  this." 

Burr  had  taken  a  few  steps  when  Van  Ness  grasped 
him  by  the  arm : 


86 

"  One  word,  Colonel,  and  pardon  it  from  a  man 
whom  you  know  to  be  a  good  friend." 

Burr  grasped  the  hand  that  Van  Ness  extended  : 

"  Van  Ness,  you  have  stuck  closer  to  me  than  a 
brother.  You  may  wring  my  heart  and  trample  on  my 
feelings  and  yet  I  shall  be  your  debtor.  Speak  out, 
Van  Ness,  what  troubles  you  ?  " 

Van  Ness  continued  in  a  somewhat  deprecatory 
manner,  "  You  know  it  is  the  usual  custom  for  seconds 
to  try  and  arrange  matters  without  a  recourse  to  arms." 

Burr  replied,  while  a  look  of  determination  played 
upon  his  face,  "  In  this  instance  it  will  be  a  mere  form. 


Without  waiting  for  Burr  to  speak  further,  Van 
Ness  asked: 

"  Why  so  ?  Suppose  General  Hamilton  shows  any 
disposition  -  " 

Burr  said  in  a  decided  tone: 

"  He  will  not.  His  attitude  is  the  result  of  false 
pride  and  not  of  sober  reflection.  Even  if  his  reason,  as 
it  must,  condemned  his  treatment  of  me,  his  pride 
would  force  him  to  face  me,  and  to  refuse  any  repara 
tion.  That  is  not  true  bravery.  A  man  should  never 
be  willing  to  die  or  cause  the  death  of  another  from 
false  pride." 

Van  Ness  persisted,  "  Your  words  lead  to  what  I 
was  going  to  say,  and  that  is,  if  General  Hamilton 
should  show  a  disposition  to  -  " 

Burr  replied,  courteously,  "  Pardon  me,  my  dear 
Van  Ness,  but  you  will  have  no  occasion  to  arrange  a 
compromise,  but  if  you  should  "  —  and  he  smiled  in 
credulously  —  "  you  may  proceed  on  this  ground.  You 
can  say  that  Colonel  Burr  disavows  verbally,  as  he  has 
already  done  in  writing,  all  motives  of  predetermined 
hostility,  and  will  accept  any  reparation  that  will  suc 
cessfully  refute  the  slanders  from  which  he  has  suf 
fered.  I  can  do  no  more,  nor  less.  Come,  Van  Ness, 


LOWERS  AND  ENEMIES         87 

let  us  not  forget  our  duties  as  the  committee  of  arrange 
ments." 

As  Colonel  Burr  said  this,  the  two  gentlemen  took 
a  path  leading  to  the  left  from  the  little  glade,  and  were 
soon  lost  to  view.  The  sound  of  the  words  last  spoken 
had  hardly  died  away  when  the  two  lovers  who  had 
jointly  performed  the  young  girl's  errand,  and  had 
left  the  pail  of  milk  at  Farmer  Wilkins's,  once  more 
entered  the  little  sunlit  glade.  The  little  birds  saw  them 
and  their  songs  which  had  been  temporarily  hushed, 
burst  forth  again  as  if  in  gladsome  welcome. 

Frederic  looked  out  upon  the  river  and  said,  "  As  we 
turned  the  bend  in  the  road,  I  saw  a  boat  at  the  little 
landing." 

"  Who  can  it  be?  "  asked  Kate  with  a  smile.  "  There 
is  no  game  here  to  shoot." 

"  Men  who  shoot  here  bring  their  own  game — they 
make  game  of  each  other." 

"  Are  you  making  game  of  me?  "  asked  Kate,  as  her 
smile  broke  into  a  peal  of  laughter. 

"  No,  far  from  it,  Kate,"  replied  Frederic  gravely. 
"  Within  a  hundred  feet  from  where  we  stand,  three 
years  ago  the  son  of  General  Hamilton  was  killed  in 
a  duel.  A  youth  of  twenty,  brave  but  inexperienced, 
he  fell  the  victim  of  the  crafty  skill  of  an  adept  duel 
list.  I  have  heard  within  the  last  fortnight  that  a  mis 
understanding  exists  between  his  father,  General  Ham 
ilton,  and  Colonel  Aaron  Burr.  It  is  not  improbable 
that  they  have  come  here  to  fight." 

"  It  is  horrible,"  said  Kate  with  a  shudder,  "  to  think 
that  the  father  may  die  upon  the  same  field  where  his 
son  fell  a  victim." 

"  That  will  never  be,"  cried  Frederic  impetuously. 
"  A  righteous  Heaven  will  never  allow  such  a  patriot 
as  Hamilton  to  fall  by  the  hand  of  Aaron  Burr,  a  man 
who  ruins  a  friend  with  as  little  feeling  as  he  would 
an  enemy." 


88  BLENNERHASSETT 

Kate  rejoined,  "  I  always  thought  he  had  most  de 
voted  friends." 

"  Yes,"  said  Frederic,  "  among  the  women  of  so 
ciety;  but  the  men  all  hate  him." 

Kate  asked  with  a  smile,  "  That  isn't  the  reason  why 
the  men  all  hate  him,  is  it  ?  " 

"What  reason?"  asked  Frederic  somewhat  angrily. 

"  Why,  because  the  women  are  such  good  friends  of 
his?" 

"  Don't  be  silly,  Kate.  I  revere  General  Hamilton,  I 
hate  Colonel  Burr,  and  I  could  never  be  friendly  with 
anyone  who  took  his  part." 

"  You  are  unreasonable,"  replied  Kate,  the  look  in 
her  eye  showing  her  disagreement  with  the  speaker's 
last  remark.  "  Suppose  I  should  say  that  I  thought 
Colonel  Burr  was  a  handsome  man  and  a  brave 
soldier?" 

The  young  man  replied  with  great  anger : 

"  I  should  allow  his  good  looks,  but  deny  his  bravery. 
Why,"  and  his  voice  rose  as  his  feelings  overcame  him, 
"  he  was  the  silent  enemy  and  detractor  of  Washing 
ton  who  would  not  advance  him  because  he  had  no 
confidence  in  his  integrity,  and  General  Hamilton  says 
to-day  that  Colonel  Burr  is  a  man  not  fit  to  be 
trusted." 

Kate,  evidently  disposed  to  continue  the  argument, 
exclaimed  with  animation,  her  bright  eyes  flashing, 

"  Somebody  must  trust  him  or  he  could  not  be  Vice- 
President  of  the  United  States,  and  he  must  be  a  brave 
man  for  I  have  read  that  when  General  Richard  Mont 
gomery  was  shot  on  the  Plains  of  Abraham  before 
Quebec,  '  Little  Burr,'  as  they  called  him,  took  the  body 
and  carried  it  from  the  battle-field  amid  a  shower  of 
bullets.  It  took  a  brave  man  to  do  that,"  she  added 
satirically. 

"  He  should  engage  you  to  plead  his  cause,"  rejoined 
Frederic  angrily,  as  he  knitted  his  heavy  eyebrows. 


LOWERS  AND  ENEMIES         89 

"  Your  eloquence  is  almost  overpowering,  but  it 
doesn't  change  my  mind.  I  think  Aaron  Burr  is  a 
villain  and  no  honest  woman  should  think  otherwise." 

"  But  women  like  villains  sometimes,  when  they  are 
handsome  and  brave,"  Kate  replied,  noticing  his  ex 
citement  but  seeming  disposed  to  provoke  him  still 
further. 

Frederic  was  silent  for  a  moment  and  then  said 
with  a  marked  air  of  determination  both  in  his  face 
and  voice: 

"  Before  I  marry  you,  I  shall  expect  you  to  agree  with 
me  on  this  point  or  we  shall  certainly  quarrel." 

Kate's  womanly  nature  rebelled  at  this  statement  of 
an  alternative  and  with  a  determination  equal  to  his 
own,  she  responded : 

"  And  before  I  marry  you,  I  shall  insist  upon  your 
respecting  my  feelings,  and  I,  for  one,  think  Colonel 
Burr  is  as  good  in  his  way  as  General  Hamilton  is  in 
his  way." 

A  look  of  astonishment  passed  over  Frederic's  face. 
He  looked  at  the  girl  who  stood  facing  him  in  a  defiant 
manner : 

"  Kate,  I  am  surprised.  I  won't  be  cross  with  you, 
but  I  should  hesitate  before  marrying  a  woman  who 
saw  anything  in  Aaron  Burr's  life  or  character  to 
admire." 

The  young  man  had  taken  the  course,  as  inexperi 
enced  young  men  often  do,  that  was  destined  to  lead 
to  further  trouble  instead  of  to  a  reconciliation.  These 
two  impetuous  natures  were  like  steel  and  flint,  and  this 
argument  was  the  tinder  that  had  caused  the  flame. 
The  girl  said  impulsively,  but  decidedly: 

"  Then  you  had  better  hesitate,  for  I  will  never 
marry  you  until  you  change  your  mind  about  Colonel 
Burr." 

Thus  she  flung  down  the  gauntlet.  The  whilom 
lovers  now  stood  upon  the  brink  of  a  quarrel  which, 


9o  BLENNERHASSETT 

if  only  a  little  rift,  may  be  followed  by  a  make-up  in  a 
minute,  or  an  hour,  or  a  day, — but  which  may  cause  a 
chasm  that  it  will  take  years  of  suffering  and  repent 
ance  to  bridge. 

The  young  man  said : 

"That  will  never  be.  I  love  you,  Kate,  but  you 
must  leave  politics  to  me  and  be  satisfied  to  take  my 
judgment  of  our  public  men.  I  know  about  them; 
you  are  only  governed  by  a  false  sentiment.  Come, 
Kate,  let  us  stop  arguing  and  go  home." 

"  I  prefer  to  stay  here,"  said  Kate,  obstinately. 

Frederic,  repenting  somewhat,  continued  entreat- 
ingly : 

"  Kate,  I  ask  you,  if  you  love  me,  to  come  with  me 
to  father's  and  I  will  tell  him  you  have  consented — 
the  farm  and  the  money  will  be  ours.  Come,  Kate." 

"  I  want  to  sit  down  and  think  it  over.  I  can't  agree 
to  give  up  my  honest  convictions  without  a  little  fight 
with  myself." 

Frederic  replied,  his  anger  mounting  again : 

"  I  ask  you  once  more,  and  for  the  last  time,  to  come 
with  me.  If  you  do  not,  I  shall  tell  father  I  am  going 
to  Ohio — that  you  have  refused  me." 

'  Then  he  will  drive  me  out  of  doors  for  daring  to 
refuse  you — the  rich  farmer's  son,"  Kate  cried, 
passionately. 

Frederic  put  the  question  once  more,  grimly,  his  sup 
pressed  passion  showing  itself,  however,  in  his  face. 
"  What  shall  I  say  to  father?  " 

Kate,  averting  her  face,  said  quickly,  "  Tell  him  you 
are  going  to  Ohio." 

Then  the  young  man,  as  is  often  the  case,  lost  con 
trol  of  his  feelings,  and  forgetting  the  courtesy  due  to 
woman  cried: 

"  I  will  take  you  at  your  word.  Farewell,  Kate, 
farewell.  I  leave  you  to  the  kind  attentions  of  your 
friend,  Colonel  Burr." 


LOWERS  AND  ENEMIES         91 

After  delivering  this  discourteous  and  ungentle- 
manly  speech,  he  stood  for  an  instant  and  looked  at 
the  woman  for  whom  he  had  professed  an  undying 
love  less  than  an  hour  before.  She  knew  that  he  was 
standing  there;  she  knew  that  she  had  but  to  look  up 
and  speak  some  reassuring  word  and  the  clouds  would 
leave  his  face;  but  she  could  not  speak  the  word  at 
that  moment.  He  had  stated  the  case  too  strongly.  If 
he  meant  what  he  said,  if  she  became  his  wife,  in  all 
matters  of  judgment  she  must  bow  to  his  presumed 
superior  knowledge.  She  was  but  a  poor  American 
girl  and  a  servant;  but  from  her  savings  she  had  pur 
chased  candles  and  books  and,  in  the  solitude  of  her 
little  room  at  night,  when  the  rest  of  the  household 
were  wrapped  in  slumber,  she  had  read,  pondered,  and 
formed  her  judgments;  and  she  was,  in  fact,  much 
better  fitted  to  express  a  dispassionate  view  of  men  and 
things  than  her  lifetime  critic  and  mentor,  as  her 
lover  would  be,  if  she  became  his  wife.  She  knew  this, 
and  the  American  spirit  within  her  would  not  allow 
her  to  give  up  her  honest  convictions  in  the  future 
for  the  sake  of  her  present  love.  So  she  did  not  speak 
the  word  which  the  young  man  evidently  expected. 

He  turned  upon  his  heel  and  left  the  glade.  There 
was  no  song  of  birds  now;  instead,  a  passionate,  im 
pulsive,  grave  young  woman  who,  as  she  heard  her 
lover's  departing  footsteps,  threw  herself  upon  the 
mossy  bank  where  so  short  a  time  ago  he  had  spoken 
the  words  which  filled  her  heart  with  joy,  and  burst 
into  a  flood  of  tears,  that  last  and  most  effective  re 
source  of  women  in  sorrow. 

While  Kate  was  thus  relieving  her  overwrought  feel 
ings,  Colonel  Burr  and  Judge  Van  Ness  returned  from 
the  survey  that  they  had  been  making  of  the  adjoining 
territory.  As  they  entered  the  glade  at  a  point  the 
farthest  removed  from  the  weeping  woman,  Burr  ob 
served  : 


92  BLENNERHASSETT 

"  Well,  Van  Ness,  I  think  that  after  all  this  is  the 
best  location.  We  shall  both  be  free  from  the  intrusion 
of  the  sunlight." 

While  speaking  he  had  continued  walking,  which 
action  disclosed  Kate  to  view. 

"  What ! "  cried  Burr,  "  a  Niobe  in  tears  ?  No,  a 
nymph." 

When  Kate  heard  the  words  she  looked  up,  and  at 
sight  of  her  beautiful,  tear-stained  face,  Burr  walked 
rapidly  to  her  side. 

"  My  dear  young  lady,  can  I  be  of  service  to  you  ?  " 

Kate  sat  erect.     "  No,  sir." 

Burr  bowed,  courteously,  and  said  in  his  most  polite 
manner : 

"  Allow  me  to  tender  my  sympathy  and  my  aid — if 
you  refuse  both  I  shall  feel  aggrieved." 

Kate  looked  up  into  the  stranger's  face  and  saw  a 
most  marvellous  pair  of  piercing  black  eyes  which,  it 
seemed  to  her,  had  already  read  her  face,  but  she  said : 

"  It  is  nothing  to  interest  a  stranger.  It  was  a 
foolish  affair  anyway — but  it  was  all  his  fault." 

"  Ah !  "  cried  Burr.  "  I  divine — a  lover's  quarrel. 
Is  the  other  lady  as  pretty  as  yourself  ?  " 

Kate  pouted  and  replied,  "  It  wasn't  about  a  lady — 
it  was  about  a  man." 

Burr  seemed  momentarily,  at  least,  to  have  forgotten 
the  serious  errand  which  had  brought  him  to  the  place. 
In  fact,  at  any  time  a  lovely  woman  in  distress  would 
have  banished  all  other  thoughts  from  his  mind.  En 
tering  fully  into  the  spirit  of  the  occasion  he  continued : 
'  Two  strings  to  your  bow !  Why  should  you  cry  ? 
Have  you  lost  them  both  ?  " 

Kate  had  dried  her  eyes  by  this  time,  but  a  look  of 
sullen  determination  had  settled  upon  her  face.  She 
sat  with  her  hands  tightly  elapsed  and  spoke  in  a  slow, 
emphatic  manner. 

'  The  man  we  quarreled   about,  neither  of  us  have 


LOWERS  AND  ENEMIES         93 

ever  seen.  He  called  him  a  villain  and  said  he  would 
marry  no  woman  who  spoke  well  of  him." 

Van  Ness,  who  had  held  aloof  up  to  this  time,  now 
approached.  He  had  overheard  the  entire  conversa 
tion,  but  for  the  first  time  now  took  part  in  it. 

"  Who  was  the  villain  of  whom  you  had  such  a 
good  opinion?  He  must  be  a  favored  rascal  when  a 
lady  prefers  to  worship  him  in  secret  to  having  a  lover 
in  her  own  right." 

"  Yes,"  cried  Burr,  "  who  is  this  precious  fellow  who 
thus  invisibly  charms  the  fairest  of  her  sex  ?  " 

As  Burr  said  this,  with  all  the  grace  and  delicacy 
of  a  courtier  he  bowed,  and  taking  Kate's  hand  in  his 
he  pressed  his  lips  to  it.  As  he  raised  his  head  he  fixed 
those  wonderful  eyes  upon  her  face.  Kate  at  first 
dropped  hers  before  his  gaze.  After  a  moment's  pause, 
she  looked  boldly  up  and  met  the  inquiring  glance. 
She  answered  the  inquiry  by  saying  in  a  firm  voice : 

"  'Twas  Colonel  Aaron  Burr." 

As  the  name  fell  from  her  lips  Van  Ness  cried : 

"What?  Burr?    Well,  why  Miss " 

Burr  glanced  quickly  at  Van  Ness,  and  the  latter 
said  no  more. 

"  Van  Ness,  let  me  manage  this.  'Tis  too  sacred  to 
be  made  a  joke  of."  This  was  spoken  in  an  undertone. 

Turning. to  Kate  again,  Burr  inquired;  and  his  voice 
possessed  a  sweetness  that  Kate  thought  she  had  never 
heard  in  any  man's  voice  before: 

"  And  you  have  never  seen  this  Colonel  Burr — this 
villain,  as  your  lover  called  him  ?  " 

"  No,  sir.     Have  you?    Is  he  so  bad?  " 

Burr  did  not  answer  her  direct  question  but  asked 
one  himself. 

"  Why  did  you  defend  him,  if  you  were  so  ignorant 
of  his  character?  " 

"  Because,"  said  Kate,  springing  to  her  feet  and 
speaking  with  an  animation  that  she  had  not  before 


94  BLENNERHASSETT 

shown,  "  because  it  seems  to  be  the  fashion  to  abuse 
Colonel  Burr  and  praise  General  Hamilton,  and  my 
heart  always  goes  out  to  one  who  is  under  a  ban." 

Burr  continued  his  questioning : 

"  Who  are  you — Miss — ?  " 

"  My  name  is  Kate  Embleton.  I  am  an  orphan  and 
a  servant  for  Captain  Horatio  Clarke,  Frederic's  father, 
but  I  shall  have  to  leave  the  house  now,  as  the  father 
will  never  forgive  my  rejection  of  his  son." 

Burr  raised  his  hands  deprecatingly. 

"You  have  not  rejected  him?  The  quarrel  is  not 
so  bad  as  that,  I  hope  ?  " 

There  was  a  flash  of  indignation  in  Kate's  beautiful 
eyes  as  she  answered  this  question,  and  the  little  scar 
beneath  her  lip  grew  blood  red. 

"  I  said  I  would  never  marry  him  until  he  changed 
his  mind  about  Colonel  Burr.  But  he  said  he  would 
never  change  his  mind.  So  it's  all  settled,  I  sup 
pose." 

Burr  looked  into  Kate's  face  and  upon  his  there  was 
a  new  expression.  It  made  her  think  of  her  own  father 
who,  years  ago,  when  no  doubt  she  was  a  naughty 
little  girl,  would  call  her  to  his  side  and  reprove  her 
gently  but  firmly  for  her  wrong  actions.  As  the  words 
fell  from  Colonel  Burr's  lip,  they  reached  her  ears,  but 
before  her  eyes  was  that  picture  of  her  father. 

"  My  dear  young  lady,  let  me  advise  you.  I  know 
this  Colonel  Burr — in  fact  I  am  an  intimate  acquaint 
ance.  He  is  not  such  a  bad  man  as  they  say  he  is — 
in  my  opinion — but  he  would  be  the  last  person  to 
wish  any  lady  to  defend  him,  if,  by  so  doing,  she  lost 
the  love  of  an  honest  man.  He  would  say,  as  I  do, 
make  up  your  quarrel — whether  Colonel  Burr  is  a  vil 
lain  or  a  saint  should  not  trouble  a  happy  home  in 

T  )  »  -L     i     J 

Jersey. 

Burr  took  a  well-filled  purse  from  his  pocket  and 
held  it  in  his  hand.  Then  he  continued : 


LOWERS  AND  ENEMIES         95 

"  I  shall  tell  Colonel  Burr  the  name  of  his  fair  de 
fender,  and  in  case  you  should  ever  need  a  friend,  go 
to  his  residence  at  Richmond  Hill  in  New  York  City, 
and  send  in  your  name.  He  will  remember  you  and 
will " 

Burr  hesitated.  The  words,  "  if  he  is  living," 
passed  through  his  mind  but  he  did  not  utter  them. 
Then  he  said : 

"  And  he  will  befriend  you.  And  allow  me  to  testify 
his  gratitude  in  a  more  substantial  fashion  with  this 
purse  in  which  you  will  find  enough  to  give  you  a  fine 
wedding." 

As  Burr  extended  the  purse  towards  her,  Kate  drew 
back. 

"  But,  sir,  I  ought  not  to  take  this  money  from  you — 
an  entire  stranger." 

Burr  again  bowed  low,  and  said  with  a  grace  worthy 
of  a  cavalier: 

"  No,  not  an  entire  stranger.  You  have  defended 
my  friend  Colonel  Burr,  and  that  makes  you  my 
friend." 

As  he  said  this,  Burr  placed  the  purse  in  Kate's  hand. 
She  looked  up,  inquiringly : 

"  And  your  name,  sir?  " 

Burr  again  took  Kate's  hand  in  his  and,  bowing  his 
head,  kissed  it  for  the  second  time.  Then  he  said : 

"  Think  of  me  only  as  your  friend — for  we  shall 
probably  never  meet  again." 

Van  Ness,  who  had  been  an  interested  but  some 
what  impatient  listener  to  the  conversation  between  his 
friend  and  the  young  woman,  now  stepped  to  her  side. 

"  My  dear  young  lady,  go,  at  once.  Pardon  my 
words,  but  a  matter  of  urgent  business " 

Kate  looked  at  him  for  the  first  time. 

"  I  can  imagine — there  is  to  be  a  duel." 

"  Your  woman's  wit,"  replied  Van  Ness,  "  has  hit 
the  truth." 


96  BLENNERHASSETT 

During  this  conversation,  Colonel  Burr  had  walked 
some  distance  away  from  them  and  stood  with  his  back 
towards  them.  Pointing  to  him,  Kate  asked  earnestly : 
"And  will  he—?" 

"  Yes,"  said  Van  Ness,  "  and  as  he  told  you,  he  may 
never  see  you  again." 

Kate  persisted  in  her  questioning :  "  And  he  is 
Colonel  Burr's  friend?" 

"  The  closest  and  dearest  one  of  them  all." 

As  Van  Ness  said  this,  he  turned  and  walked  towards 
Colonel  Burr.  Kate  sprang  past  him  and  touched 
Burr  timidly  on  the  arm.  Burr  turned  quickly  about. 
The  young  girl's  face  was  full  of  animation  and  in 
terest. 

"  Sir,"  she  cried,  "  I  am  a  woman  and  think  duelling 
is  but  murder;  but,  if  you  are  in  the  right,  and  I  feel 
you  must  be,  I  hope  we  shall  meet  again." 

As  soon  as  she  said  this,  she  turned  and  walked 
swiftly  away  and  was  soon  lost  to  sight. 

"  You  see,  Van  Ness,  a  woman  who  has  never  known 
me  defends  me,  and  refuses  to  marry  the  man  who 
spoke  ill  of  me.  Many  a  man  has  died  without  so 
pleasant  a  thought  to  take  with  him.  But  where  can 
they  be?" 

"  Let  us  take  a  little  stroll  along  the  river  bank," 
said  Van  Ness,  "  we  can  see  them  before  they  land." 

Burr  assented,  and  the  two  gentlemen  soon  disap 
peared  in  the  direction  that  Van  Ness  had  indicated. 
They  had  no  sooner  left  the  little  glade  than  two  other 
gentlemen  appeared  upon  the  scene,  advancing  from  an 
opposite  direction.  It  was  the  other  principal  in  the 
coming  affair  of  honor,  General  Hamilton,  accom 
panied  by  his  second,  Judge  Pendleton. 

"  Is  he  here?  "  asked  Hamilton. 

"  I  saw  him  and  his  second  but  a  few  rods  away  on 
the  river  bank,  as  we  reached  the  top  of  the  hill,"  re 
plied  Pendleton.  "  It  lacks  but  five  minutes  of  the 


LOWERS  AND  ENEMIES         97 

hour — they  will  soon  return.  General,  have  you  any 
thing  further  to  say  to  me  ?  " 

The  General  replied: 

"  No,  my  dear  Pendleton,  only  to  thank  you  for 
your  zealous  service,  your  unvarying  kindness,  your 
true  friendship."  General  Hamilton  extended  his  hand 
which  Judge  Pendleton  warmly  grasped. 

"  I  have  left  in  my  desk  a  paper  which,  if  I  fall,  I 
wish  you  to  give  to  the  public.  Last  night,  in  my 
study,  alone  with  my  Maker,  I  wrote  the  explanation 
of  my  being  on  this  field  of  death  to-day." 

"  Rest  assured,  my  dear  General,  that  your  slightest 
wish  is  law  to  me." 

"  I  know  it,  my  good  friend.  Would  that  I  could 
more  fully  requite  such  a  friendship.  This  is  my  first 
and  last  duel,  Pendleton.  My  relative  situation  as 
well  in  public  as  in  private,  enforcing  all  the  considera 
tions  which  constitute  what  men  of  the  world  denomi 
nate  honor,  impose  on  me,  as  I  think,  a  peculiar  neces 
sity  not  to  decline  this  meeting.  The  ability  to  be  in 
future  useful,  whether  in  resisting  mischief  or  affecting 
good,  in  these  crises  of  our  public  affairs  which  seem 
likely  to  happen,  would  probably  be  inseparable  from  a 
conformity  with  public  prejudices  in  this  particular; 
but,  should  it  please  God  to  carry  me  safely  through 
this  emergency,  I  will  never  be  engaged  in  a  similar 
transaction."  He  raised  his  right  hand.  "  It  is  my 
deliberate  intention  to  employ  all  my  influence  in  society 
to  discountenance  this  barbarous  custom  of  duelling." 

As  the  General  concluded,  Pendleton  asked  anx 
iously,  "  but  if  it  were  possible  to  arrange  a  settle 
ment?" 

"  It  will  not  be,"  said  Hamilton,  with  decision. 
"  Burr's  ruling  passion  is  his  ambition,  and  he  means 
to  step  over  my  dead  body  into  the  President's  chair. 
His  prejudice  against  Washington  arose  from  my  ad 
vancement  and  the  feeling  that  Washington  trusted  me 


9  8  BLENNERHASSETT 

and  distrusted  him.  He  is  implacable  in  his  hatred  of 
me." 

Pendleton  turned,  for  he  heard  the  sound  of  ap 
proaching  footsteps. 

"  They  are  here,"  he  said  in  a  low  tone  to  the  Gen 
eral;  and  taking  the  latter's  arm  they  walked  slowly 
to  the  farther  end  of  the  field. 


CHAPTER  X 

THE  FIELD  OF  HONOR 

WHEN  Colonel  Burr  and  Judge  Van  Ness  en 
tered  the  little  clearing  which  was  to  be 
come  the  field  of  honor,  they  saw  and  rec 
ognized  General  Hamilton  and  his  second,  and  rais 
ing  their  hats  saluted  them  politely.  This  civility  was 
acknowledged  with  equal  courtesy.  Then  General 
Hamilton  turned  about,  and,  leaning  his  arm  upon  a 
large  rock,  looked  out  upon  the  beautiful  river.  Was 
this  to  be  his  last  view  of  it  ? 

Then  he  turned  his  eyes  towards  the  North  where, 
although  it  was  not  visible,  he  knew  his  happy  home 
was  situated.  He  seemed  to  see  his  loving  wife  en 
gaged  in  her  household  duties,  and  his  happy  children 
either  at  their  studies  or  at  play.  Was  he  ever  to  see 
again  that  happy  home  and  those  he  loved  and  who 
loved  him  so  well?  A  few  short  moments  were  to 
answer  both  these  questions. 

Colonel  Burr  sank  upon  the  grassy  mound  where 
Kate  was  seated  during  his  interview  with  her.  A  bit 
of  cherry-colored  ribbon  which  had  formed  some  part 
of  her  attire,  in  some  way  had  become  detached  and 
lay  upon  the  grass  at  his  feet.  He  reached  forward, 
picked  it  up,  pressed  it  involuntarily  to  his  lips,  then, 
passing  it  through  a  buttonhole  of  his  coat,  made  it 
into  a  lover's  knot.  His  attention  was  next  attracted 
by  the  loud  chattering  of  some  birds  in  the  trees  above 
him.  He  looked  up  and  saw  that  two  of  them  were 
engaged  in  what  appeared  to  be  a  mortal  combat. 

99 


ioo  BLENNERHASSETT 

With  all  the  deftness  of  two  practised  swordsmen  they 
struck  at  each  other  and  advanced  and  retreated  as 
they  assumed  the  offensive  or  defensive.  Burr  smiled 
as  he  looked  at  them.  The  birds  of  the  air  and  the 
beasts  of  the  field  thirsted  for  each  other's  blood,  even 
as  man  did. 

Meanwhile  the  two  seconds  advanced  simultaneously 
towards  each  other  and  met  near  the  centre  of  the 
field.  Van  Ness  spoke  first. 

"  As  the  challenging  party,  it  is  my  duty  to  sug 
gest  what  is  doubtless  impossible,  an  amicable  arrange 
ment  of  the  difficulties  between  the  principals  in  this 
sad  affair.  Mr.  Cooper  stated  in  his  letter — "  as  he  said 
this  he  took  a  paper  from  his  pocket,  opened  it  and 
read.  "  '  General  Hamilton  and  Judge  Kent  have  de 
clared  in  substance  that  they  looked  upon  Mr.  Burr 
as  a  dangerous  man,  and  one  who  ought  not  to  be 
trusted  with  the  reins  of  government.'  To  this  he 
added — '  I  could  detail  to  you  a  still  more  despicable 
opinion  which  General  Hamilton  has  expressed  of  Mr. 
Burr.' ' 

To  this  succinct  statement  of  the  case  Judge  Pendle- 
ton  rejoined : 

"  General  Hamilton  has  declared  that  he  could  not 
deny  charges  so  generally  made,  nor  affirm  them.  He 
has  expressed  his  willingness,  if  Colonel  Burr  would 
state  in  detail  any  charges,  to  acknowledge  or  deny 
them  like  a  gentleman." 

Both  of  the  seconds  had  evidently  read  and  re-read 
the  correspondence  between  their  principals,  for  its 
most  expressive  lines  seemed  to  be  engraven  upon  their 
memories.  Van  Ness  recognized  the  General's  own 
words  as  they  fell  from  the  mouth  of  his  second  and 
he  on  his  part  resolved  to  stick  just  as  closely  to  the 
letter.  So  he  replied: 

'  The  remarks  made  by  General  Hamilton,  Colonel 
Burr  understands  to  have  been  of  a  general  nature,  and 


THE  FIELD  OF  HONOR       101 

no  denial  or  declaration  will  be  satisfactory  unless  it 
be  general,  so  as  to  wholly  exclude  the  idea  that  re 
ports  derogatory  to  Colonel  Burr's  honor  have  origi 
nated  with  General  Hamilton,  or  have  been  fairly  in 
ferred  from  anything  he  has  said." 

Mr.  Pendleton  then  asked  the  following  question: 
"  Can  Colonel  Burr  point  to  one  public  utterance  of 
General  Hamilton's  in  which  he  has  over-stepped  the 
limits  allowed  in  political  discussion  ?  " 

"  Colonel  Burr,"  replied  Van  Ness,  "  would,  I  am 
sure,  authorize  me  to  say  that  secret  whispers  traducing 
his  fame  and  impeaching  his  honor,  are,  at  least, 
equally  injurious  with  slanders  publicly  uttered." 

To  this  Mr.  Pendleton  responded  with  spirit,  "  And 
I  am  equally  positive  that  General  Hamilton  would 
never  consent  to  become  a  sacrifice,  and  atone  in  his 
own  person  for  the  idle  gossip  of  the  members  of  a 
great  political  party  naturally  embittered  by  a  partisan 
warfare." 

Both  gentlemen  evidently  recognized  that  further 
attempts  to  secure  an  amicable  settlement  were  useless, 
for  each  walked  to  his  principal  and  spoke  a  few  words 
in  a  low  tone.  As  Mr.  Pendleton's  words,  whatever 
they  were,  fell  upon  his  ear,  Hamilton  turned  his  head, 
gave  a  slight  nod,  and  then  once  more  fixed  his  gaze 
upon  the  rapidly  flowing  river,  although  his  eyes  were 
turned  many  times  towards  the  North. 

When  Van  Ness  reached  Colonel  Burr  he  found  that 
the  latter  had  lighted  a  cigar  and  was  leaning  against 
the  trunk  of  a  tree,  just  back  of  the  little  mound  upon 
which  he  was  seated.  As  Van  Ness  began  speaking, 
Burr  took  his  cigar  from  his  mouth,  and  carelessly 
flicked  off  the  ashes.  When  his  second  concluded,  he 
nodded  his  head  several  times  and  resumed  smoking. 
He  watched  the  tiny  blue  clouds  as  they  rose  slowly 
above  his  head  and  were  wafted  away  by  a  gentle 
breeze  that  blew  from  the  river. 


102  BLENNERHASSETT 

Again  the  seconds  met  in  the  centre  of  the  field  of 
honor ;  this  time  not  with  peaceable  intent,  but  to  make 
careful  preparations  for  the  death  or  wounding  of  a 
fellow-being. 

Pendleton  took  a  Spanish-milled  dollar  from  his 
purse  and  flipped  it  high  in  the  air.  As  it  was  fall 
ing,  Van  Ness  called  out  "  Heads/'  but  heads  were 
not  uppermost,  and  General  Hamilton  had  won  the 
choice  of  positions.  Once  more  the  silver  disk  was 
thrown  into  the  air,  and  again  Van  Ness  cried 
"  Heads,"  but  once  more  fate  had  decreed  against  him, 
for  Pendleton  had  won  the  right  to  give  the  word. 

Mr.  Pendleton  approached  the  General  and  an 
nounced  the  result.  "  I  will  stand  here,"  replied  Ham 
ilton,  indicating  the  space  between  the  great  rock  upon 
which  he  leaned  and  a  giant  tree  just  opposite,  the 
opening  between  being  not  more  than  four  feet  wide. 

Van  Ness  sauntered  up  to  Colonel  Burr  and  re 
marked  :  "  They  won  both  tosses,  the  fates  are  against 
us,  Colonel." 

"  So  far,"  replied  Burr,  laconically. 

Pendleton  then  placed  a  small  rock  at  the  point  des 
ignated  by  General  Hamilton.  Next  he  proceeded  to 
measure  off  ten  full  paces  which  brought  him  close  to 
where  Burr  was  sitting.  Then  he  placed  another  rock, 
which  he  had  in  his  hand,  to  indicate  where  Colonel 
Burr  was  to  stand.  Van  Ness  then  paced  the  distance 
marked  out  to  make  sure  that  it  had  been  correctly 
measured. 

General  Hamilton,  being  the  challenged  party,  had 
the  choice  of  weapons.  Pendleton  opened  the  case  that 
he  had  brought  with  him,  and  disclosed  a  pair  of  pis 
tols  of  beautiful  workmanship.  Van  Ness  looked  at 
them  admiringly.  Then  he  took  up  each  one  and  ex 
amined  it  carefully,  cocking  and  snapping  it. 

"  Are  you  satisfied?  "  asked  Pendleton. 

"  Perfectly,"  replied  Van  Ness. 


THE  FIELD  OF  HONOR        103 

Then  the  pistols  were  loaded  and  primed,  Van  Ness 
taking  one  and  Pendleton  the  other.  As  Van  Ness 
started  towards  Colonel  Burr  he  glanced  hurriedly 
about.  Not  a  person  was  in  sight  except  the  four  so 
closely  connected  with  this  ever-to-be  memorable  affair 
of  honor. 

Mr.  Pendleton  then  asked  in  clear  and  distinct  tones, 
"Gentlemen,  are  you  ready?" 

As  he  heard  the  question,  Colonel  Burr  threw  away 
his  cigar,  sprang  to  his  feet,  took  his  position  at  the 
place  which  had  been  marked  for  him,  reached  out  his 
hand  for  the  pistol  which  Van  Ness  passed  to  him  and 
examined  the  trigger  and  priming  with  a  critical  eye. 

General  Hamilton  also  turned  when  he  heard  the 
inquiry,  but  he  had  been  gazing  so  long  in  one  direction 
that  he  was  somewhat  dazed  by  the  change  in  the  light, 
and  he  did  not  appear  to  see  the  weapon  which  his 
second  extended  to  him.  Finally  he  perceived  it  and 
said  in  a  slow,  deliberate  manner,  "  I  beg  pardon  for 
delaying  you,  but  the  direction  of  the  light  sometimes 
renders  glasses  necessary." 

He  then  drew  forth  a  pair  of  spectacles  and  adjusted 
them.  Pendleton  handed  him  the  pistol  for  the  second 
time  and  asked,  "  shall  I  set  the  hair  trigger  for  you, 
General  ?  " 

"  No,"  replied  Hamilton  in  a  decided  tone.  Mean 
while  Colonel  Burr,  having  finished  the  examination  of 
his  weapon,  stood  in  an  easy,  graceful,  and  expectant 
attitude. 

"  Are  you  ready,  gentlemen  ?  "  Mr.  Pendleton  again 
asked.  General  Hamilton  drew  himself  up  and  for  the 
first  time  looked  directly  at  his  antagonist.  In  an  in 
stant,  a  great  change  had  come  over  the  latter.  Up  to 
that  moment  he  had  been  the  gentleman,  the  courtier, 
the  man  of  silk  and  velvet  and  scented  powder.  Now 
he  was  the  warrior.  The  man  of  iron  with  nerves  of 
steel.  He  fixed  those  wondrous  eyes  upon  his  lifelong 


104  BLENNERHASSETT 

foe  and  Hamilton  felt  their  force  and  fire.  He  could 
not  return  that  glance,  so  he  closed  his  eyes  to  shut 
it  out. 

Doctor  Hosack,  the  attending  surgeon,  who  had  been 
concealed  from  sight  behind  the  huge  rock  beside 
which  Hamilton  stood,  suddenly  entered  the  little  clear- 
•  ing  and  said  in  a  low  voice  to  Pendleton,  "  I  have  left 
some  of  my  instruments  in  the  barge;  it  will  take  me 
but  a  few  moments  to  get  them."  Pendleton  nodded. 
As  Doctor  Hosack  turned  to  depart  he  cast  a  keen 
glance  at  each  of  the  contestants.  A  moment  later  he 
disappeared  from  sight.  For  a  couple  of  minutes,  it 
seemed  an  eternity  to  Hamilton,  the  four  men  stood  in 
suspense. 

Judge  Pendleton's  clear  ringing  voice  then  an 
nounced  the  rules  which  were  to  govern  the  firing. 

At  the  word  "  Present "  the  parties  were  to  fire 
simultaneously;  if  either  failed  to  fire,  his  opponent's 
second  was  to  count  one !  two !  three !  and  if  he  failed  to 
fire  on  the  last  number,  he  was  to  lose  his  shot. 

Then  for  an  instant  there  was  a  deathly  silence. 
Even  the  little  birds  ceased  their  chattering  and  looked 
with  wondering  eyes  at  the  unaccustomed  scene. 

From  the  master's  lips  fell  the  terrible  word,  "  Pre 
sent  !  "  Hamilton  raised  his  pistol  and  it  was  instantly 
discharged.  No  human  witness  can  ever  prove  whether 
he  aimed  at  his  antagonist  or  fired  wildly  into  the 
air.  One  point  is  certain,  he  fired  before  Colonel  Burr 
did. 

The  flash  and  the  report  startled  the  feathered  deni 
zens  of  the  forest,  and  spreading  their  wings  they  flew 
swiftly  away.  Gathered  upon  a  distant  tree,  they 
chattered  vehemently  at  this  disturbance  of  their  peace. 

Burr  did  not  wait  for  the  numbered  count.  At  the 
sound  of  Hamilton's  pistol,  he  raised  his  own  and  fired. 
His  shot  took  effect.  The  instant  General  Hamilton 
was  struck  he  raised  himself  involuntarily  on  his  toes, 


MUST    NOT    STAY    HERE.      YOU    WILL    BE    RECOGNIZED." 


THE  FIELD  OF  HONOR        105 

turned  a  little  to  the  left,  and  fell  heavily  upon  his 
face. 

As  the  second  report  died  away,  two  men  appeared 
above  the  brow  of  the  declivity  which  led  down  to  the 
water's  edge.  One  was  Doctor  William  Hosack,  the 
surgeon,  who  ran  hurriedly  to  the  field  to  learn  whether 
his  services  were  needed.  The  other  was  Duke,  a 
gigantic  negro  boatman,  who  on  more  than  one  occa 
sion  had  borne  the  dead  and  dying  from  this  same 
bloody  field. 

When  he  saw  General  Hamilton  fall,  a  look  expressive 
of  regret  passed  over  Colonel  Burr's  face,  and  he  took 
a  step  forward  as  though  he  intended  to  approach  and 
speak  to  the  fallen  man;  but  Van  Ness  grasped  him 
roughly  by  the  arm,  pulled  him  back,  and  said  in  a 
stern  voice :  "  The  surgeon  and  the  boatmen  are  com 
ing.  You  must  not  stay  here.  You  will  be  recognized." 

As  he  said  this,  he  threw  a  long  cloak  over  Burr's 
shoulders,  opened  an  umbrella  with  which  he  had  pro 
vided  himself,  and  with  it  drawn  down  over  their 
heads  so  as  to  completely  screen  their  faces  from  view, 
they  quickly  left  the  field. 

Mr.  Pendleton  raised  the  General  from  the  ground 
and  held  him  in  his  arms.  By  this  time  Doctor  Hosack 
had  arrived.  He  knelt  beside  the  wounded  man  and 
looked  into  his  face  which  was  lined  with  evidence  of 
suffering,  and  was  as  pale  as  death.  Opening  his  eyes 
Hamilton  recognized  Doctor  Hosack  and  said  in  a  weak 
voice : 

"  This  is  a  mortal  wound,  Doctor." 

He  then  relapsed  into  a  state  of  unconsciousness. 
The  doctor  felt  for  his  pulse  but  it  was  not  perceptible. 
He  then  placed  his  ear  to  the  wounded  man's  mouth, 
but  there  was  no  sound  of  breathing.  Opening  his 
clothing,  he  placed  his  hand  upon  his  heart,  but  its 
beating  could  not  be  felt.  To  all  outward  appearances 
the  unfortunate  duellist  was  already  a  dead  man. 


io6  BLENNERHASSETT 

The  doctor  sprang  to  his  feet.  "  Our  only  hope," 
he  cried,  "  is  to  get  him  on  board  the  barge  at  once." 
He  called  to  Duke  who  had  signalled  his  three  com 
panions,  and  the  four  bargemen  lifted  the  body  tenderly 
and  conveyed  it  to  the  boat,  Doctor  Hosack  leading  the 
way,  while  Mr.  Pendleton  brought  up  the  rear  carry 
ing  the  case  of  pistols  and  the  General's  spectacles 
which  he  had  found  upon  the  ground,  and  which  had 
been  broken  by  the  fall. 

Just  as  Pendleton  prepared  to  take  his  first  step 
down  the  steep  declivity  which  led  to  the  water,  his 
arm  was  grasped  by  Van  Ness. 

"  What  does  the  doctor  say?  "  the  latter  asked  in  a 
hnsky  voice. 

"  That  there  is  no  hope,"  replied  Pendleton.  "  I  do 
not  believe  he  will  be  alive  when  we  reach  the  other 
side  of  the  river." 

Van  Ness  returned  with  the  sad  news  to  Colonel 
Burr  who  was  waiting  impatiently  for  tidings.  After 
Colonel  Burr  had  reached  his  boat  he  had  expressed 
his  intention  of  going  back  to  the  field  himself  so  as 
to  learn  the  exact  condition  of  his  late  antagonist.  But 
Van  Ness  had  declared  that  such  a  course  would  be 
improper,  and  that  it  would  be  extremely  foolish  to 
allow  himself  to  be  seen  by  the  boatmen.  Van  Ness, 
as  a  compromise,  offered  to  go  himself,  and  with  this 
understanding,  Burr  consented  to  remain  in  the  boat, 
shielded  from  gaze  by  the  umbrella. 

As  soon  as  Van  Ness  returned,  Burr's  boat  pushed 
off  and  he  and  his  friends  in  a  short  time  were  once 
more  in  the  great  library  at  Richmond  Hill. 

When  the  barge  containing  General  Hamilton  had 
been  a  short  time  upon  the  water,  he  began  to  show 
signs  of  returning  animation.  Some  attempts  to 
breathe  were  noticeable.  Next  he  gave  a  deep,  heavy 
sigh.  Doctor  Hosack  sprang  to  his  side  and  bathed  his 
forehead,  neck,  and  wrists  with  spirits  of  hartshorn. 


THE  FIELD  OF  HONOR        107 

Some  was  inhaled,  but  he  was  unable  to  swallow. 
His  eyes  opened  slightly  and  he  glanced  about.  Then 
he  said:  "  My  vision  is  indistinct." 

His  natural  vigor  now  began  to  assert  itself.  He 
breathed  more  regularly  and  there  was  a  look  of  intelli 
gence  in  his  eye.  He  glanced  at  the  case  of  pistols,  and 
then  looking  up  to  Doctor  Hosack,  exclaimed :  "  Pen- 
dleton  knows  that  I  did  not  intend  to  fire  at  him." 

Pendleton  assured  him  that  he  had  informed  the 
doctor  of  this  fact.  He  seemed  much  refreshed  by  the 
cool  breeze  from  the  river,  and  as  the  barge  approached 
the  shore  he  motioned  to  Pendleton  who  bent  over  him. 
"  Let  Mrs.  Hamilton  be  immediately  sent  for,"  said 
he ;  "  let  the  event  be  gradually  broken  to  her,  but  give 
her  hopes." 

Mr.  Bayard  had  seen  the  approaching  barge  and  had 
divined  the  condition  of  affairs.  When  a  landing  was 
effected,  a  cot  was  in  readiness,  and  on  it  the  wounded 
man  was  borne  by  the  four  lusty  bargemen  through 
crowds  of  wondering  and  sympathetic  spectators  to 
the  house  of  his  friend.  Fate  had  decreed  that  he  was 
never  again  to  see  that  happy  home  in  the  North, 
towards  which  his  eyes  had  turned  so  wistfully  but  a 
short  hour  ago. 

Satisfied  that  their  enemies  had  left,  the  feathered 
songsters  returned  to  their  accustomed  haunts  in  the 
trees  which  surrounded  the  fatal  field.  On  the  grassy 
mound  at  the  foot  of  the  great  tree,  where  Kate  had 
had  her  interview  with  the  supposed  friend  of  Colonel 
Burr,  she  was  again  seated.  She  had  opened  the  purse 
and  was  counting  the  money  which  it  contained. 
There  were  gold  pieces  and  silver  pieces,  and  she  was 
astonished  to  find  that  they  were  worth  nearly  two 
hundred  dollars.  What  a  fortune — and  for  what? 

While  thus  engaged,  jingling  the  coins  and  looking 
at  them  with  evident  manifestations  of  delight,  Frederic 
approached  her.  She  did  not  hear  him  and  did  not 


io8  BLENNERHASSETT 

look  up.  It  had  happened  that  the  full  particulars  of 
the  duel,  including  the  names  of  the  combatants,  had 
been  learned  by  him.  He  knew  that  the  man  he  had 
so  revered  had  fallen  a  victim  at  the  hands  of  the  man 
he  so  despised  and  hated.  He  could  restrain  himself 
no  longer,  so  he  cried  in  a  loud,  stern  voice : 

"  Woman,  where  did  you  get  that  money?  " 

Kate  clutched  at  her  treasure  with  both  hands.  She 
looked  up,  and  seeing  Frederic's  dark,  angry  gaze  fixed 
upon  her,  said  defiantly :  "  He  gave  it  to  me." 

"He?"  cried  Frederic.  "Whom  do  you  mean  by 
he?" 

"  I  do  not  think  I  am  called  upon  to  explain,  but  if 
you  must  know,  it  was  one  of  the  gentlemen  who  has 
just  fought  a  duel.  I  am  so  glad  he  is  safe.  I  saw 
him  going  down  to  the  boat." 

"  Do  you  know  who  that  man  was  ? "  asked 
Frederic. 

"  I  don't  know  his  name,"  replied  Kate,  "  but  I  am 
sure  he  is  a  gentleman.  He  said  he  was  a  friend  of 
Colonel  Burr's." 

"  He  was  ever  a  liar  and  deceiver  of  women.  That 
man  was  Colonel  Burr  himself !  "  Kate  started  back  in 
astonishment.  "  Give  me  the  money,"  cried  Frederic, 
"  and  I  will  take  it  back  to  him  at  once." 

Kate  clutched  the  purse  in  her  hand  and  put  it  behind 
her. 

"  Ah !  I  see,"  said  Frederic  sarcastically,  "  you  have 
sold  yourself  body  and  soul.  Come  here !  " 

He  grasped  her  disengaged  hand  rudely,  and  then 
dragged  her  to  the  spot  where  Hamilton  had  fallen. 

"  See  that  blood,  Kate  ?  It  is  the  price  paid  by  a 
man  of  honor  to  defend  his  good  name,  but  that  money 
in  your  hand  is  the  price  of  your  dishonor  and  the  badge 
of  your  shame.  Farewell,  Kate,  forever.  You  are  not 
fit  to  be  the  wife  of  an  honest  man." 

The  girl  threw  her  hands  wildly  in  the  air  and  then 


THE  FIELD  OF  HONOR        109 

fell  senseless  upon  the  ground,  the  pieces  of  gold,  and 
the  pieces  of  silver  strewn  about  her.  The  birds  above 
once  more  burst  into  a  flood  of  melody,  but  she  heard 
them  not. 


CHAPTER  XI 

AFTER    THE    DUEL 

IT  was  the  evening  of  the  day  of  the  tragedy. 
Myriads  of  stars  scintillated,  and  a  full  moon 
shone  in  the  heavens.  Its  bright  rays  fell  upon 
the  rushing  river  and  formed  a  wondrous  maze  above 
it,  while  its  surface  beneath  resembled  the  glare  of 
silver  or  the  glint  of  highly-burnished  steel.  It  seemed 
as  though  fair  Luna  had  with  one  grasp  taken  a  thou 
sand  arrows  from  her  crystal  quiver  and  cast  them 
upon  the  earth.  The  little  moonbeams  romped  and 
played  like  elfin  sprites  upon  the  trees  and  shrubs  and 
flowers  that  grew  upon,  or  about,  the  field  where  the 
conflict  of  the  morning  had  taken  place.  They  lighted 
up  the  bright  green  of  its  carpet  and  showed  some 
dark  red  stains  upon  the  spot  where  the  wounded  man 
had  fallen.  From  this  scene  of  radiant  light  which 
fell  upon  sea  and  river,  road  and  field,  come  to  the 
lordly  mansion,  dark  as  Erebus,  upon  the  summit  of 
Richmond  Hill. 

In  this  great  house  but  a  single  light  was  burning — 
a  solitary  candle  which  stood  upon  a  large  table  in 
the  great  library.  Although  the  master  of  the  house 
had  not  retired  to  rest,  the  great  candelabrum  in  the 
hall  was  not  lighted.  The  servants,  who  had  heard 
exaggerated  rumors  of  the  occurrence  in  the  morning, 
had  gathered  together  at  the  rear  of  the  house  and 
talked  in  low  whispers  with  bated  breath.  Even  the 
voice  of  the  loquacious  Peggy  was  stilled,  and  she  had 
no  word  of  condemnation,  as  was  her  wont,  for  her 
fellow-servants. 

no 


AFTER   THE  DUEL  in 

In  his  great  armchair  in  the  library  sat  the  master 
of  the  house.  The  same  picture  that  greeted  his  eyes 
early  that  morning,  and  which  had  been  before  them 
all  day,  was  before  them  now.  He  saw  again  and 
again  the  form  of  the  prostrate  man,  and  heard  his 
words :  "  This  is  a  mortal  wound."  Of  course  the 
wound  was  mortal,  for  Hamilton  had  said  so  himself. 
Who  could  know  so  well  as  he.  The  master  of  the 
house  had  been  alone  for  several  hours.  His  friends, 
Van  Ness,  Swartwout,  and  Davis,  had  passed  the 
greater  part  of  the  day  with  him,  but  all  of  them  had 
gone  down  town  to  learn  the  latest  intelligence.  Would 
they  never  come  back?  Yes!  there  was  a  loud  knock 
at  the  door.  The  servants  had  been  informed  that  the 
master  would  open  the  door  himself,  if  anyone  called. 
He  did  so,  and  admitted  Van  Ness. 

"  What  do  they  say?  "  asked  Burr,  as  soon  as  they 
had  entered  the  library. 

"  Your  enemies  say — "  Van  Ness  began. 

"  Stop !  "  cried  Burr,  "  I  do  not  care  to  hear  what 
my  enemies  say.  What  do  my  friends  say  ?  " 

They  seated  themselves  in  the  dimly-lighted  room. 

"  Some  of  them  say,"  remarked  Van  Ness,  "  that  it 
is  a  righteous  judgment,  but  that  it  has  been  deferred 
too  long.  Some  say  they  are  sorry  that  he  is  mortally 
wounded;  it  would  have  answered  your  purpose  just  as 
well  if  the  injury  had  been  slight." 

"  No  doubt,"  said  Burr,  "  but  it  was  the  decree  of 
Fate.  If  I  had  actually  tried  to  kill  him,  as  I  did  not, 
I  should  probably  have  given  him  a  flesh  wound  only. 
But  go  on,  Van  Ness." 

"  Some  say,"  the  latter  continued,  "  that  they  wish 
the  duel  had  taken  place  as  soon  as  Cooper's  letter  ap 
peared  ;  that  is,  before  election.  They  say  that  in  such 
a  case,  if  you  had  wounded  Hamilton  slightly,  your 
honor  would  have  been  vindicated;  his  scandalous 
tongue  and  those  of  his  myrmidons  would  have  been 


I  12 


BLENNERHASSETT 


silenced,  and  then  you  would  undoubtedly  have  been 
elected  Governor  of  New  York,  and  your  way  to  the 
presidential  chair  assured." 

"  No  doubt,"  said  Burr  again,  "  but  Fate  did  not  so 
decree." 

"  Then  again,"  continued  Van  Ness,  "  if  that  tool 
of  Hamilton's  had  only  died  a  couple  of  months  sooner 
and  you  had  given  me  liberty  to  publish  that  deposi 
tion " 

"  Hold,  Van  Ness,"  cried  Burr.  "  The  matter  of  the 
deposition  has  been  settled  finally.  I  never  could  have 
used  it  against  a  living  antagonist,  and  I  have  pro 
vided  that  it  cannot  be  used  against  a  dead  one.  But 
is  he  dead?  You  have  not  told  me." 

"  Not  yet,"  Van  Ness  answered,  "  but  the  doctors 
give  no  hope.  A  couple  of  surgeons  from  the  French 
frigates  in  the  harbor  came  up  this  afternoon,  but 
their  decision  was  the  same  as  that  arrived  at  by  Doc 
tor  Hosack.  He  will  probably  linger  until  to-morrow, 
but  the  end  is  certain." 

"  Is  he  in  great  pain?  "  asked  Burf. 

"They  say  he  was,"  replied  Van  Ness, *" until  he 
was  placed  in  bed  in  Mr.  Bayard's  house.  Then  Doc 
tor  Hosack  was  able  to  relieve  him." 

In  a  short  time,  Van  Ness  took  his  leave.  Burr  ex 
tinguished  the  candle,  and,  throwing  himself  upon  a 
couch  in  the  library,  slept  soundly  until  morning.  It 
did  not  prove  that  he  was  a  revengeful  or  hard-hearted 
man.  He  had  been  in  battles  when  hundreds  of  men 
instead  of  one  had  fallen,  and  yet  he  had  thrown' himself 
upon  the  ground  beside  them,  and,  exhausted  then  as 
he  was  now,  had  slept  throughout  the  night. 

The  master  of  Richmond  Hill  passed  the  day  follow 
ing  the  duel  in  writing  letters  to  his  daughter,  his  son- 
in-law,  and  to  many  friends  in  different  parts  of  the 
country.  The  second  evening  came,  and  again  the 
great  mansion  was  dark  except  for  the  single  light  in 


AFTER   THE  DUEL  113 

the  library.  That  evening  he  had  two  visitors,  Judge 
Van  Ness  and  Doctor  Hosack.  The  latter,  who  was  a 
friend  to  both  the  participants  in  the  fatal  affray,  had 
come  at  Van  Ness's  request  to  give  Colonel  Burr  a 
correct  account  of  the  last  hours  of  his  antagonist. 

"  It  was  a  most  affecting  sight,"  said  Doctor  Hosack, 
"  when  the  General's  wife  and  his  seven  children  stood 
by  his  bedside.  He  could  not  speak,  but  he  gave  them 
a  look  which  said  as  plainly  as  words  could  have  done, 
'I  love  you  all;  farewell.'  Two  clergymen  visited 
him  in  his  last  hours.  I  left  the  room,  for  I  knew  he 
would  wish  to  be  alone  with  them.  He  died  about 
half-past  two  this  afternoon." 

"  What  was  the  nature  of  the  wound?  "  asked  Burr 
calmly. 

"  A  most  peculiar  one,"  the  doctor  replied.  "  The 
bullet  struck  him  in  the  right  side.  It  fractured  one 
of  the  ribs  and,  in  doing  so,  was  deflected  so  that  it 
continued  its  course  through  his  body  and  finally  lodged 
in  the  lumbar  region.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  fractured 
rib,  the  wound  would  have  been  a  comparatively 
slight  one." 

Burr  nodded  his  head. 

•  "  The  funeral,"  said  Van  Ness,  "  is  fixed  for  Fri 
day." 

The  two  gentlemen  soon  withdrew,  and  the  victor  of 
that  terrible  morning  passed  another  night  in  the  soli 
tude  of  his  library. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  following  week,  the  can 
delabrum  in  the  hall  was  again  lighted.  A  .dozen  can 
dles  were  burning  in  the  great  library. 

A  little  company  had  gathered  to  talk  over  the  events 
of  the  preceding  week.  Among  them  were  the  ever- 
ready  Van  Ness,  the  always-faithful  John  Swartwout, 
M.  L.  Davis,  and  Colonel  Troup. 

The  ante-duellum  statement  to  which  Hamilton 
had  called  Mr.  Pendleton's  attention  on  the  morning 


1 1 4  BLENNERBASSETT 

of  the  duel  and  which  had  been  found  in  his  desk,  had 
been  given  to  the  press  and  was  being  discussed  by  the 
public.  Van  Ness  had  brought  a  copy  with  him,  and, 
at  Burr's  request,  read  it  aloud  to  the  assembled  com 
pany.  It  was  addressed  to  the  American  people  and 
read  as  follows : 

"  On  my  expected  interview  with  Colonel  Burr, 
I  think  it  proper  to  make  some  remarks  explanatory 
of  my  conduct,  motives,  and  views.  I  was  certainly 
desirous  of  avoiding  this  interview  for  the  most  cogent 
reasons. 

"  i.  My  religious  and  moral  principles  are  strongly 
opposed  to  the  practice  of  duelling,  and  it  would  ever 
give  me  pain  to  be  obliged  to  shed  the  blood  of  a  fellow 
creature  in  a  private  combat  forbidden  by  the  laws." 

Here  Van  Ness  stopped,  and  interpolated  a  remark : 

"  If  the  General  was  so  opposed  to  duelling,  why 
didn't  he  bring  his  parental  influence  to  bear  upon  his 
son  three  years  ago?  Events  have  shown  that  the 
Hamiltons  are  not  favorites  on  the  field  of  honor." 

Burr  waved  his  hand,  and  Van  Ness  taking  the 
implied  hint  continued  his  reading : 

"  2.  My  wife  and  children  are  extremely  dear  to  me, 
and  my  life  is  of  the  utmost  importance  to  them  in 
various  views. 

"  3.  I  feel  a  sense  of  obligation  toward  my  creditors; 
who,  in  case  of  accident  to  me,  by  the  forced  sale  of  my 
property,  may  be  in  some  degree  sufferers.  I  did  not 
think  myself  at  liberty,  as  a  man  of  probity,  likely  to 
expose  them  to  this  hazard. 

"  4.  I  am  conscious  of  no  ill-will  to  Colonel  Burr  dis 
tinct  from  political  opposition,  which,  as  I  trust,  has 
proceeded  from  pure  and  upright  motives." 

Here  Van  Ness  stopped  again.  Burr  rose  from 
his  chair,  and  walking  to  the  window,  looked  out  into 
the  night.  The  discussion  of  the  paper  was  evidently 
not  to  his  liking,  but  he  was  equally  averse  to  making 


AFTER  THE  DUEL  115 

continued  objections  to  such  remarks  as  his  friends 
might  deem  proper  and  pertinent. 

"  That's  all  nonsense,"  said  Van  Ness,  "  about  his 
bearing  no  ill-will  to  our  friend,  the  Colonel,  except 
for  political  reasons.  All  his  political  ill-will  he  was 
at  perfect  liberty  to  express  at  public  meetings,  or  in 
the  public  press;  but  when  a  man  carries  his  political 
ill-will  so  far  as  to  write  letters  to  both  friends  and 
foes,  secretly  attacking  the  honor  and  abusing  the 
character  of  his  opponent,  I  think  he  goes  too  far  to  be 
allowed  to  shield  himself  behind  the  excuse  of  political 
opposition." 

This  sentiment  evidently  coincided  with  the  views 
of  those  present,  for  they  manifested  their  approval  by 
affirmative  nods.  Then  Van  Ness  took  up  the  paper 
again  and  resumed  his  reading. 

"  Lastly,  I  shall  hazard  much,  and  can  possibly  gain 
nothing  by  the  issue  of  the  interview. 

"  But  it  was,  as  I  conceive,  impossible  for  me  to 
avoid  it.  There  were  intrinsic  difficulties  in  the  thing, 
and  artificial  embarrassments  from  the  manner  of  pro 
ceeding  on  the  part  of  Colonel  Burr. 

"  Intrinsic,  because  it  is  not  to  be  denied  that  my 
animadversions  on  the  political  principles,  character, 
and  views  of  Colonel  Burr  have  been  extremely  severe ; 
and,  on  different  occasions,  I,  in  common  with  many 
others,  have  made  very  unfavorable  criticisms  on  par 
ticular  instances  of  the  private  conduct  of  this  gen 
tleman." 

"  Not  only  upon  the  private  character  and  conduct 
of  our  friend  here,"  broke  in  John  Swartwout,  "  but 
upon  the  private  character  and  conduct  of  many  of 
the  Colonel's  friends.  If  his  regard  for  morality  and 
virtue  was  so  marked,  why  did  he  not  write  a  few 
letters  in  relation  to  the  morals  of  some  of  the  members 
of  his  own  party?  " 

"  That's  so,"  added  Van  Ness.    "  A  man  who  stands 


1 1 6  BLENNER  HAS  SETT 

as  a  tutor  of  morals  should  not  confine  his  admirable 
lectures  to  his  political  opponents.  Like  an  Irishman 
at  a  fair,  whenever  he  sees  a  head  he  should  hit  it." 

After  this  remark,  the  reading  continued : 

"  In  proportion  as  these  impressions  were  enter 
tained  with  sincerity,  and  uttered  with  motives  and 
for  purposes  which  might  appear  to  me  commendable, 
would  be  the  difficulty  (until  they  could  be  removed 
by  evidence  of  their  being  erroneous)  of  explanation  or 
apology.  The  disavowal  required  of  me  by  Colonel 
Burr,  in  general  and  definite  form,  was  out  of  my 
power  if  it  had  really  been  proper  for  me  to  submit  to 
be  so  questioned;  but  I  was  sincerely  of  the  opinion 
that  this  could  not  be;  and  in  this  opinion  I  was  con 
firmed  by  that  of  a  very  moderate  and  judicious  friend 
whom  I  consulted." 

Burr  turned  his  face  from  the  window  towards  the 
company  and  asked : 

"  Have  any  of  you  an  idea  who  it  was  he  con 
sulted?" 

"  I  can't  say  positively,"  replied  Colonel  Troup,  "  it 
was  either  General  Rufus  King,  or  his  son  Doctor 
King." 

"  Both  conscientious  advisers,"  remarked  Burr,  as 
he  turned  his  back  again  towards  the  company  and 
gazed  at  the  starlit  sky.  Again  Van  Ness  continued: 

"  Besides  that,  Colonel  Burr  appeared  to  me  to  as 
sume,  in  the  first  instance,  a  tone  unnecessarily  peremp 
tory  and  menacing ;  and  in  the  second,  positively  offen 
sive.  Yet  I  wished,  as  far  as  might  be  practicable,  to 
leave  a  door  open  for  accommodation.  This,  I  think, 
will  be  inferred  from  the  written  communications  made 
by  me  and  by  my  direction,  and  would  be  confirmed  by 
the  conversations  between  Mr.  Van  Ness  and  myself, 
which  arose  out  of  the  subject." 

"  Here  I  respectfully  present  an  opinion,"  said  Van 
Ness,  "  that  General  Hamilton  had  no  right  to  issue  a 


AFTER   THE  DUEL  117 

post-mortem  subpoena  requiring  me  tb  appear  as  a 
witness  in  his  defence.  I  am  a  friend  of  Colonel  Burr, 
but  if,  after  reading  the  correspondence  between  the 
Colonel  and  General  Hamilton,  and  listening  to  the 
case  as  presented  to  me  by  Judge  Pendleton,  I  had 
been  of  the  opinion  that  General  Hamilton  was  in  the 
right,  and  Colonel  Burr  in  the  wrong,  I  should  have 
come  to  Colonel  Burr  and  have  told  him  so,  and  should 
have  declined  to  act  as  his  second." 

Again  Burr  turned  from  the  window. 

"  And  in  doing  so,"  he  said  to  Van  Ness,  "  you 
would  have  proved  your  true  friendship.  If  you  had 
come  to  me  and  told  me  that  you  thought  General 
Hamilton  was  in  the  right,  and  that  I  was  in  the 
wrong,  although  my  pride  is  great,  I  should  have 
humbled  it.  I  have  no  great  reputation,"  Burr  added 
with  a  smile,  "  as  an  apologizer,  for  the  good  reason 
that  I  have  made  it  the  rule  of  a  lifetime  never  to  speak 
or  write  ill  of  any  man,  whatever  my  private  opinion 
might  be." 

Once  more  he  turned  to  the  window,  and  Van  Ness 
again  resumed  the  reading  of  the  document. 

"  I  am  not  sure  whether,  under  all  the  circumstances, 
I  did  not  go  further  in  the  attempt  to  accommodate 
than  a  punctilious  delicacy  will  justify.  If  so,  I  hope 
the  motives  I  have  stated  will  excuse  me. 

"  It  is  not  my  design,  by  what  I  have  said,  to  affix 
any  odium  on  the  character  of  Aaron  Burr  in  this  case. 
He  doubtless  has  heard  of  animadversions  of  mine 
which  bore  very  hard  upon  him,  and  it  is  probable  that, 
as  usual,  they  were  accompanied  with  some  false 
hoods." 

"  I  am  astonished,"  remarked  Mr.  Davis,  "  that  he 
should  have  brought  himself  to  acknowledge  so  much 
as  that." 

"  Wait,"  said  Van  Ness,  "  you  will  find  later  on  that 
it  was  the  other  fellow  who  told  the  lies.  Listen " 


1 1 8  BLENNERH^SSE  TT 

"  He  may  have  supposed  himself  under  a  necessity 
of  acting  as  he  has  done.  I  hope  the  grounds  of  his 
proceeding  have  been  such  as  ought  to  satisfy  his  own 
conscience. 

"  I  trust  at  the  same  time,  that  the  world  will  do  me 
the  justice  to  believe  that  I  have  not  censured  him  on 
light  grounds  nor  from  unworthy  inducements.  I 
certainly  have  had  strong  reasons  for  what  I  have  said, 
though  it  is  possible  that  in  some  particulars  I  have 
been  influenced  by  misconstruction  or  misinforma 
tion." 

"  I  told  you  so,"  said  Van  Ness.  "  You  see  he  says 
it  was  the  other  fellow  who  misinformed  and  misled 
him.  Consequently  he  ought  not  to  be  blamed  for  re 
peating  stories  that  were  false,  but  concerning  which 
he  took  no  steps  to  ascertain  their  truth  or  falsity." 

"  It  is  also  my  ardent  wish  that  I  may  have  been 
more  mistaken  than  I  think  I  have  been;  and  that  he, 
by  his  future  conduct,  may  show  himself  worthy  of  all 
confidence  and  esteem,  and  prove  an  ornament  and 
blessing  to  the  country. 

"  As  well,  because  it  is  possible  that  I  may  have  in 
jured  Colonel  Burr,  however  convinced  myself  that  my 
opinions  and  declarations  have  been  well  founded,  as 
from  my  general  principles  and  temper  in  relation  to 
similar  affairs,  I  have  resolved,  if  our  interview  is  con 
ducted  in  the  usual  manner,  and  it  pleases  God  to  give 
me  that  opportunity,  to  reserve  and  throw  away  my 
first  fire  and  I  have  thought  even  of  reserving  my 
second,  and  thus  giving  a  double  opportunity  to  Colonel 
Burr  to  pause  and  repent. 

"  It  is  not  my  intention,  however,  to  enter  into  any 
explanation  on  the  ground.  Apology,  from  principle 
I  hope  rather  than  pride,  is  out  of  the  question. 

'  To  those  who,  with  me,  abhorring  the  practice  of 
duelling,  may  think  that  I  ought  on  no  account  to  have 
added  to  the  number  of  bad  examples,  I  answer,  that 


AFTER   THE  DUEL  119 

my  relative  situation,  as  well  in  public  as  in  private, 
enforcing  all  the  considerations  which  constitute  what 
men  of  the  world  denominate  honor,  imposed  on  me, 
as  I  thought,  a  peculiar  necessity  not  to  decline  this 
call.  The  ability  to  be  in  future  useful,  whether  in 
resisting  mischief  or  effecting  good  in  those  crises  of 
our  public  affairs  which  seem  likely  to  happen,  would 
probably  be  inseparable  from  a  conformity  with  public 
prejudice  in  this  particular." 

"  Well,"  asked  Van  Ness,  as  he  concluded  reading, 
"  do  you  think  that  my  comments  have  been  unfair  ?  " 
A  general  expression  of  negation  came  from  his  hear 
ers. 

"  I  forbear,"  continued  Van  Ness,  "  to  comment 
upon 'the  latter  portion  of  this  remarkable  document. 
Like  his  speeches  before  the  jury,  it  contains  such  a 
muddle  of  truth  and  falsity,  mixed  metaphor  and 
verbiage,  that  I  am  really  at  a  loss  to  understand  just 
exactly  what  he  means." 

"  I  can  put  it  in  few  words,"  said  John  Swartwout; 
"  he  knew  in  his  heart  that  he  had  injured  Colonel 
Burr;  he  knew  if  he  made  a  general  apology  that  it 
would  damn  him  with  his  party.  He  knew  that  if  he 
made  a  partial  one  that  it  would  not  be  satisfactory  to 
Colonel  Burr,  so  he  decided  not  to  make  any,  but  by  his 
post-mortem  statement  to  make  it  appear  that  the  Col 
onel  had  forced  him  into  this  duel ;  that  he  had  refused 
to  receive  what  General  Hamilton  considered  was  a 
sufficient  explanation.  Then,  to  further  prejudice  the 
people  against  our  friend,  the  Colonel,  he  poses  as  an 
opponent  of  duelling,  at  the  same  time  confessing  that 
if  he  doesn't  fight,  he  knows  that  his  friends  will  look 
upon  him  as  a  coward,  and  that  his  future  career  as  a 
lawyer  and  politician  will  be  injured." 

"  That  is  the  whole  thing  in  a  nutshell,  Swartwout," 
cried  Van  Ness.  "  Now  there  is  but  one  point  left, 
and  that  is  the  one  where  he  expresses  such  a  hearty 


120  BLENNERHASSETT 

wish  for  Colonel  Burr's  political  success.  That  is  the 
one  redeeming  feature  in  the  whole  document." 

As  he  said  this,  he  folded  it  up  and  placed  it  in  his 
pocket.  When  he  had  done  so,  Van  Ness  arose  from 
his  seat  and  joined  Burr  at  the  window. 

"  Colonel,"  said  he,  in  a  voice  so  low  that  the  friends 
could  not  hear,  "  those  present  are  your  friends.  I 
have  a  deposition  in  my  pocket.  Let  me  break  the 
seals  and  allow  your  tried  and  trusted  friends  to  know 
the  whole  truth  of  this  matter." 

"  My  dear  Van  Ness,"  said  Burr,  "  this  is  the  third 
time  that  I  have  told  you  that  my  disposition  of  that 
sealed  packet  is  final." 

He  turned  and  advanced  towards  the  company.  Re 
freshments  were  ordered  and  the  subject  that  had  en 
grossed  the  early  part  of  the  evening  was  not  again 
referred  to.  By  ten  o'clock  the  great  mansion  was 
once  more  shrouded  in  darkness. 

The  master  of  Richmond  Hill  remained  in  quiet  se 
clusion  for  several  days.  He  had  no  callers  but  his 
most  intimate  friends.  Not  a  word  of  what  was  said 
by  his  enemies  reached  him,  for  his  friends  did  not 
repeat  them,  and  he  read  no  newspapers;  but  on  the 
ninth  day  after  the  duel  he  had  a  morning  call  from 
Van  Ness. 

"  I  have  something  disagreeable  to  communicate," 
said  Van  Ness,  "  yet  I  must  tell  you." 

"  If  you  must,  you  can,"  said  Burr  with  a  smile. 

'  The  grand  juries,  both  in  New  York  and  New 
Jersey,  have  brought  in  indictments  against  you  for 
murder." 

Burr  did  not  turn  pale,  nor  did  a  muscle  of  his  face 
relax. 

"  I  had  expected  it,"  he  remarked,  "  but  they  will 
never  bring  me  to  trial." 

"  Of  course  not,"  added  Van  Ness,  "  but  for  a  while, 
at  least,  I  would  suggest — " 


AFTER   THE  DUEL  121 

"  A  temporary  absence?  "  asked  Burr. 

"That  is  what  I  intended  to  say,"  assented  Van 
Ness. 

"  I  will  think  it  over,"  remarked  Burr,  and  let  you 
know  my  decision  this  evening. 

"  By  the  way,"  added  Van  Ness,  "  I  received  a  letter 
yesterday  from  Mr.  Charles  Biddle  qf  Philadelphia. 
You  remember  him?"  said  he,  interrogatively. 

"  Certainly,"  replied  Burr,  "  he  was  Vice-President 
of  Pennsylvania  at  the  time  Franklin  was  President. 
He  has  always  been  a  good  friend  of  mine,  not  so  much, 
as  I  have  fancied,  on  account  of  any  personal  liking, 
but  because  he  was  in  accord  with  certain  principles 
which  he  considered  I  represented.  What  did  he  say?  " 

"  There  are  rumors  in  Philadelphia,"  continued  Van 
Ness,  "  that  your  duel  with  Hamilton  was  not  carried 
on  exactly  according  to  the  rules  which  usually  govern 
affairs  of  this  kind,  and  Biddle  wrote  me  to  inquire  if 
there  was  any  truth  in  them.  In  reply,  I  gave  him  a 
complete  account  of  the  affair  from  the  time  when  we 
arrived  upon  the  field  until  it  was  all  over.  I  am 
going  to  see  Pendleton  to-morrow  and  draw  up  an  ac 
count  to  be  signed  by  both  of  us  and  made  public." 

"  That  is  a  good  idea,"  said  Burr,  "  it  will  not  have 
a  great  effect  at  the  present  time,  but  such  events  are 
part  of  history,  and  the  historian  of  the  future  should 
have  the  truth  of  the  matter." 

"  But,  by  your  own  act,"  said  Van  Ness,  "  you  have 
given  to  your  enemies  an  open  field  for  fifty  years  after 
your  death,  during  which  they  may  affix  a  stigma  upon 
your  name  which  it  may  take  another  fifty  years  to 
remove." 

"  I  cannot  help  it,"  replied  Burr,  "  the  packet  is 
sealed  and  that  matter  is  settled;  but  some  day  it  will 
be  opened  and  the  truth  will  be  known,  and  some  his 
torian  will  present  the  facts  it  contains  to  his  genera 
tion,  and  then  the  attacks  of  my  enemies  will  be  silenced 


122  BLENNERHASSETT 

forever.  I  can  afford  to  bear  misrepresentation  and 
calumny  for  a  century  if  those  who  live  in  the  many 
centuries  to  follow  know  the  truth.  Did  Biddle  say 
anything  else?  " 

"  Yes,"  replied  Van  Ness,  "  he  wrote  that  in  talking 
to  a  Philadelphian  several  days  ago,  the  latter  remarked 
that  he  had  had  a  conversation  with  General  Hamilton 
when  he  was  last  in  that  city.  During  the  interview, 
Hamilton  spoke  of  the  bitter  partisan  feeling  that  ex 
isted  in  Philadelphia  between  the  two  great  political 
parties,  and  added  that  in  New  York  party  rancor  was 
not  carried  to  such  an  extreme  extent.  He  instanced 
his  relations  with  you  as  an  example,  remarking  that 
although  Colonel  Burr  and  himself  differed  politically, 
socially  they  were  the  best  of  friends." 

Burr  said  nothing.  Not  a  muscle  moved,  nor  did  he 
show  any  inclination  to  make  any  comment  concerning 
what  Van  Ness  had  just  said.  The  latter  continued : 

"  Biddle  closed  his  letter  to  me  in  a  way  which  can 
not  fail  to  please  you,  Colonel.  It  was  this."  He  took 
a  letter  from  his  pocket  and,  after  scanning  several 
closely  written  pages,  read  the  following: 

"  I  never  knew  Colonel  Burr  to  speak  ill  of  any 
man." 

It  was  decided  that,  on  the  day  but  one  following, 
early  in  the  morning,  Burr  should  become  a  fugitive 
and  thus  escape,  for  the  present  at  least,  whatever  legal 
danger  might  be  impending.  Early  that  morning,  he 
called  the  servants  of  his  household  together  and  bade 
them  good-bye,  saying  that  he  was  going  South  to  visit 
his  daughter  and  should  not  return  to  Richmond  Hill 
until  after  the  next  session  of  Congress  had  closed. 

The  servants  of  the  household  had  become  acquainted 
with  the  real  cause  of  his  departure  and  it  was  not  neces 
sary  for  him  to  give  a  fuller  explanation.  He  had 
shaken  each  by  the  hand  and  supposed  the  ceremony 
of  leave-taking  was  over,  when  Peggy  cried  out : 


AFTER   THE  DUEL  123 

"  Yo'  always  liked  yo'  coffee  jess  so,  an'  yo'  eggs 
biled  jess  so  much;  what  is  yo'  goin'  to  do  when  yo' 
don't  have  Peggy  to  fix  'em  fo'  yo'." 

As  she  said  this,  she  began  to  sob  and  rub  the  tears 
from  her  eyes  with  her  big  black  knuckles. 

"  I  shall  miss  your  cooking  very  much,  Aunt  Peggy," 
said  Burr,  "  and  shall  look  forward  with  pleasure  to 
my  return  so  that  I  can  enjoy  it  once  more." 

This  complimentary  remark  caused  Peggy  to  dry 
her  tears  and  sent  a  broad  smile  over  her  face.  She 
looked  around  at  the  rest  of  the  servants  as  much  as  to 
say:  "  Didn'  I  tole  yo'  so."  Then  John,  the  valet, 
spoke  up : 

"  How  are  you  going  to  get  along,  Master  Burr," 
said  he,  "  unless  you  have  someone  to  brush  your  clothes 
and  comb  your  peruke  and  look  after  you?  " 

"  I  shall  miss  you  very  much,  John,"  said  Burr, 
"  but  I  mean  to  send  for  you  as  soon  as  I  get  back  to 
Washington." 

Now  was  John's  time  for  self-glorification,  and  he 
looked  at  Peggy  with  a  glance  which  she  understood 
to  mean :  "  Yo'se  other  folks  ain't  of  no  'count  no 
way." 

Then  Sam  said  timidly,  "  Don'  yo'  want  a  boy  to 
carry  yo'  baggage?" 

Burr  smiled.  He  saw  that  each  of  his  attendants 
was  disposed  to  magnify  hi's  or  her  importance.  But 
he  could  not  blame  them  for  this;  for  he  had  always 
taught  them  to  be  self-reliant,  and  to  consider  their 
work,  however  menial  it  might  be  in  its  nature,  as  of 
great  importance  to  the  good  conduct  of  the  great 
house. 

"  I  should  like  to  take  you  with  me,  Sam,"  he  replied, 
"  you  may  go  across  the  river  with  me  this  morning." 

Sam  smiled,  showing  his  white  teeth,  and  the  others 
envied  him  the  opportunity  he  would  have  to  be  the  last 
one  to  say  good-bye  to  Massa  Burr. 


124  BLENNERHASSETT 

Burr  then  turned  to  them  and  said: 

"  While  I  am  away,  Peggy  will  have  charge  of  the 
house.  Mr.  Van  Ness  will  see  her  every  day,  or  every 
other  day,  and  you  are  to  obey  his  orders  the  same  as 
if  they  were  mine,  and  when  I  come  back  I  shall  expect 
to  get  a  good  report  about  all  of  you." 

"  But  ef  yo'  don'  come  back !  "  cried  Peggy,  ex 
plosively. 

"  In  that  case,"  Burr  said,  gravely,  "  I  will  see  that 
you  are  all  sent  to  South  Carolina  to  live  with  my 
daughter  whom  I  know  you  will  serve  as  faithfully  as 
you  have  me."  He  glanced  out  of  the  window.  "  My 
friends  are  coming." 

At  that  moment,  Van  Ness  entered  the  room.  Burr 
took  his  arm  and,  followed  by  the  good-byes  and  bless 
ings  of  his  retainers,  the  master  of  Richmond  Hill  left 
the  great  house  in  which  Fate  had  decreed  he  should 
never  set  foot  again. 


CHAPTER  XII 

"  I    HAVE    NO    COUNTRY  " 

URR  made  a  rapid  flight  to  the  South.  On  sev 
eral  occasions  he  narrowly  escaped  recognition, 
which  fact  would  undoubtedly  have  led  to  his 
detention  and  return  to  either  New  Jersey  or  New 
York,  but  his  knowledge  of  military  strategy,  which 
had  served  him  so  well  during  his  trip  from  Quebec  to' 
Montreal,  and  later  on,  when  he  carried  the  verbal  des 
patch  from  General  McDougal  to  General  Washing 
ton,  served  him  in  good  stead  now.  When  he  reached 
South  Carolina,  it  was  as  if  he  had  been  taken  from  a 
loathsome  dungeon  and  ushered  into  a  beautiful  palace, 
with  the  knowledge  that  all  it  contained  was  his.  In 
every  city  and  town  the  rich  planters  opened  their  doors 
and  invited  him  to  become  their  guest.  Dinners,  more 
pretentious  banquets,  receptions,  and  balls  followed 
each  other  in  quick  succession.  To  a  man  of  Burr's 
temperament,  this  adulation  was  exceedingly  pleasing; 
but  he  retained  during  it  all  his  outward  serenity  and 
composure  of  manner.  He  bore  victory  as  he  did  de 
feat  with  the  same  outward  measure  of  equanimity. 
From  all  parts  of  the  South,  letters  reached  him  assur 
ing  him  of  sympathy,  respect,  and  support.  If,  at 
this  time,  he  had  taken  up  his  residence  at  the  South 
and  gathered  about  him  the  constituency  which,  of  its 
own  free  will,  had  offered  its  assistance,  the  history  of 
the  United  States  might  have  been  changed  in  a  ma 
terial  degree. 

When  he  started  upon  his  way  northward  to  attend 

I2S 


126  BLENNERHASSETT 

the  closing  session  of  the  Eighth  Congress,  he  received 
ovations  in  all  the  principal  cities  and  towns,  and  his 
progress  became  a  triumphal  tour.  On  one  occasion, 
the  horses  were  taken  from  his  carriage  and  he  was 
drawn  through  the  streets  by  the  hands  of  his  adher 
ents,  an  honor  which,  of  late  years,  has  been  accorded 
only  to  prima  donnas. 

At  Richmond,  when  he  entered  the  theatre,  the  audi 
ence  rose  in  a  body  and  greeted  him  with  cheers.  When 
he  left,  the  same  testimony  of  respect  was  paid  him.  A 
southern  senator  voiced  the  sentiment  of  the  majority 
of  the  southern  people,  when  he  said,  in  a  speech,  that 
"  the  little  Republican  David  hath  slain  the  Federalist 
Goliath!" 

The  sentiment  regarding  him  was  entirely  different 
at  the  North.  The  opinions  of  the  press  and  clergy 
were,  as  a  rule,  fulsome  commendations  of  Hamilton, 
and  unmitigated  condemnations  of  Burr.  Volumes 
could  be  filled  with  the  editorial  and  contributed  arti 
cles  in  newspapers,  and  the  sermons  of  the  clergy. 
There  may  have  been  others,  but  there  was  at  least  one 
divine,  who,  in  his  consideration  of  the  question,  seemed 
to  be  an  exponent  of  even-handed  justice.  This  clergy 
man  was  the  Rev.  Samuel  Spring,  who,  on  the  fifth  of 
August,  1804,  delivered  a  discourse  before  the  North 
Congregational  Society  of  the  city  of  Newburyport, 
Massachusetts.  He  took  for  his  text  the  sixth  com 
mandment:  "Thou  shalt  not  kill."  After  defining 
carefully  the  justifiable  and  unjustifiable  kinds  of  homi 
cide,  he  referred  more  particularly  to  the  duellists. 

Referring  to  the  fact  that  Hamilton  had  not  injured 
or  killed  Burr  in  the  duel,  the  reverend  gentleman 
said :  "  This  is  the  essence  of  the  crime ;  hence  he  who 
uses  an  instrument  with  a  design  to  kill  his  neighbor, 
but  fails  in  the  execution  in  consequence  of  the  inter 
position  of  Providence,  is  as  real  a  murderer  in  the  sight 
of  God,  if  not  of  the  civil  law,  as  if  his  malicious  pur- 


"/  HAVE  NO  COUNTRT'       127 

pose  were  affected.  The  civil  magistrate  judges  ac 
cording  to  the  visible  act;  but  God  according  to  the 
invisible." 

Tvhe  clergyman  called  attention  to  the  notable  reply, 
as  he  termed  it,  of  a  certain  Colonel  Gardiner,  who, 
when  challenged,  replied :  "  I  am  not  afraid  to  fight 
with  man,  but  I  am  afraid  to  sin  against  God." 

Referring  to  Hamilton's  ante-duellum  statement, 
found  in  his  desk  after  his  death,  Mr.  Spring  said: 
"  Will  it  not  make  more  duellists  than  it  will  suppress? 
For  it  professedly  furnishes  reasons  and  motives  to 
justify  similar  conduct  in  similar  circumstances  and 
conditions." 

"  The  inference,"  said  the  reverend  gentleman, 
"  from  General  Hamilton's  last  statement  is  that  he 
felt  himself  obliged  to  die  with  honor  rather  than  to 
drag  out  his  days  in  disgrace." 

Mr.  Spring  then  cited  an  historical  parallel :  "  In  the 
dominions  of  King  Pharamond,  first  King  of  France, 
although  duelling  was  contrary  to  law,  it  was  sanc 
tioned  by  custom,  and  no  judge  could  be  found  who 
would  punish  a  duellist  who  had  killed  his  adversary. 
After  one  of  these  unfortunate  occurrences,  one  of  King 
Pharamond's  subjects  appeared  before  him  and  said: 
'  Excellent  Pharamond,  I  had  a  friend,  but  he  is  dead 
and  by  my  own  hand.  But  though  it  was  by  my  own 
hand,  it  was  yet  by  the  guilt  of  Pharamond.  I  have 
this  moment  killed  in  a  duel  the  man  whom  I  most 
loved.  Pharamond  has  taken  him  from  me.  The 
merciful  Pharamond  destroys  his  subjects.  The  father 
of  his  country  destroys  his  people.  It  is  the  guilt  of 
Princes  to  let  anything  grow  into  a  custom  which  is 
contrary  to  their  laws.  A  court  can  make  fashion  and 
duty  walk  together.  It  can  never  be  fashionable  and 
honorable  to  do  what  is  unlawful  without  the  guilt  of 
authority.  But  alas !  in  the  dominions  of  Pharamond 
by  the  force  of  tyrant  custom,  styled  a  point  of  honor, 


128  BLENNERHASSETT 

the  duellist  kills  his  friend  and  the  judge  approves  his 
conduct.'  ' 

Referring  particularly  to  Burr,  the  clergyman  said : 
"  But  let  us  pause ;  and  with  answerable  exercises  of 
heart  remember  that  the  parents  and  the  grandparents 
of  that  notorious  and  stalking  duellist  were  characters 
of  the  first  distinction  in  point  of  abilities  and  Chris 
tianity." 

This  same  Mr.  Spring  was  chaplain  of  the  ill-fated 
expedition  under  General  Benedict  Arnold  which  laid 
siege  to  Quebec  in  December,  1775.  On  that  terrible 
night  of  the  last  day  in  the  month  when  the  attack  of 
the  Americans  was  repulsed  and  General  Montgomery 
was  killed,  that  same  clergyman  had  seen  that  "  stalk 
ing  duellist  "  then  familiarly  known  as  "  Little  Burr  " 
carry  the  body  of  his  dead  commander  on  his  back  from 
the  field  of  battle  amid  a  shower  of  bullets. 

In  closing  his  discourse,  the  reverend  gentleman  hoped 
that  such  legislation  would  be  passed  as  would  effect 
ually  put  a  stop  to  the  practice  of  duelling.  "  Two  of 
our  first  men  in  point  of  talents  and  information  have 
exceeded  in  criminality  and  put  common  malefactors  to 
the  blush,"  said  he,  "  and  I  trust  this  sad  affair  will  put 
an  end  to  the  practice  in  the  English-speaking  countries 
at  least." 

But  the  good  man's  wish  was  not  to  be  realized  for 
many  years  to  come.  It  seems  strange  to  the  reader  of 
history  in  the  present  century  to  find  such  universal 
condemnation  of  Burr  on  account  of  the  tragic  ending 
of  his  duel  with  Hamilton,  when  the  fact  is  recalled 
that  in  1820  an  affair  equally  tragic  and  deplorable  took 
place,  which  has  attracted  but  little  popular  attention. 

Commodore  Barren,  who  was  in  command  of  the 
American  man-of-war  "  Chesapeake,"  was  surprised 
by  the  "  Leopard  "  and  easily  captured  by  the  British 
vessel.  He  held  Commodore  Stephen  Decatur  person 
ally  accountable  for  evidence  given  by  him  before  a 


"/  HAVE  NO   COUNTRT'        129 

court-martial.  Decatur's  record  was  an  illustrious  one. 
But  it  is  impossible  to  find  in  history  or  biography  any 
such  condemnation  of  Barron  as  has  been  meted  out  to 
Burr. 

After  Colonel  Burr's  departure  from  New  York,  his 
friend,  Judge  Van  Ness,  both  by  request  and  inclina 
tion,  became  his  personal  representative.  He  watched 
over  affairs  at  Richmond  Hill  with  as  much  solicitude 
as  if  he  had  been  the  actual  owner.  Another  mat 
ter,  in  which  he  took  particular  pleasure  in  arrang 
ing  a  settlement,  he  had  mentioned  to  Colonel  Burr, 
but  the  latter  refused  to  have  anything  to  do  with  it 
beyond  vaguely  promising  that  he  would  bring  a  suit 
for  libel  against  the  editor  of  the  American  Citizen, 
if  the  attacks  were  continued. 

One  afternoon  about  dusk,  Mr.  James  Cheetham, 
the  editor  of  the  American  Citizen,  sat  in  his  office. 
He  had  learned  of  Colonel  Burr's  flight  from  the  city 
and  had  made  it  the  text  of  a  particularly  abusive  and 
vituperative  article.  He  had  just  finished  it  and  read 
it  through  carefully,  expressing  from  time  to  time  his 
appreciation  of  his  own  handiwork.  The  door  was 
opened  and  a  man  entered.  Cheetham  looked  up;  his 
visitor  was  Judge  Van  Ness.  Van  Ness  did  not  sit 
down  but,  leaning  his  hand  upon  the  back  of  a  chair 
which  stood  beside  Cheetham's  desk,  looked  the  editor 
squarely  in  the  face,  his  dark  eyes  full  of  a  fire  indi 
cating  that  his  visit  was  not  of  a  friendly  character. 

"Are  you  the  editor  of  the  American  Citizen?" 
inquired  Van  Ness. 

"  My  name  is  Cheetham,"  the  man  at  the  desk  re 
plied. 

"  I  did  not  ask  your  name,"  said  Van  Ness,  "  that  is 
immaterial.  I  inquired  whether  you  were  the  editor  of 
the  American  Citizen  ?  " 

"  I  am  proud  to  hold  that  position,"  retorted  Cheet 
ham,  somewhat  defiantly.  Van  Ness  did  not  seem  dis- 


1 3o  BLENNERHASSETT 

posed  to  contest  the  editor's  private  opinion  of  his  own 
merits,  but  continued : 

"  A  short  time  ago,  Mr.  Editor  of  the  American 
Citizen,  you  published  in  your  paper  a  statement  that 
Colonel  Burr  in  his  duel  with  the  late  General  Hamilton 
wore  a  suit  of  silk  underclothing,  he  having  learned 
that  such  an  article  of  wearing  apparel  would  effectually 
stop  an  adversary's  bullet.  It  is  not  necessary,"  said 
Van  Ness,  "  for  you  either  to  deny  or  affirm  that  the 
article  appeared  in  your  paper.  I  know  that  it  did,  but 
the  statement  was  a  deliberate  and  intentional  false 
hood." 

Cheetham  half  arose  from  his  chair  with  an  angry 
look  in  his  face. 

"  Keep  your  seat,  Mr.  Editor  of  the  American 
Citizen,"  continued  Van  Ness.  "  I  am  not  done  with 
you  yet.  When  I  have  finished  I  will  offer  you  any 
satisfaction  that  you,  as  a  gentleman  of  honor,  have  a 
right  to  demand.  In  another  issue  of  your  paper," 
continued  Van  Ness,  "  you  published  a  statement  that 
for  three  weeks  prior  to  the  duel,  Colonel  Burr  was 
daily  engaged  in  pistol  practice  in  the  grounds  at  the 
rear  of  his  residence,  with  a  view  to  perfecting  himself 
in  marksmanship.  That,  like  the  other  statement  which 
I  have  mentioned,  was  a  base  and  wilful  lie,  originating 
in  your  own  brain,  Mr.  Editor  of  the  American  Citi 
zen." 

Again  Cheetham  started  up  as  if  he  would  resent  the 
sarcasm  of  the  speaker's  remarks,  but  Van  Ness  did  not 
appear  to  notice  him  and  continued : 

"  In  the  same  issue  in  which  you  referred  to  the  suit 
of  silk  underclothing,  you  stated  that  a  large  party  of 
the  friends  of  Colonel  Burr  met  on  the  evening  of  the 
duel  at  Richmond  Hill,  and  that  a  hilarious  affair  took 
place  in  which  toasts  were  drunk,  and  a  speech  made  by 
the  host  in  which  he  declared  that  he  was  sorry  he  had 
not  shot  General  Hamilton  through  the  heart.  This 


"1  HAVE  NO  COUNTRT'        131 

statement,  like  the  other  two  tfiat  I  have  mentioned, 
was  totally  false  and  had  its  origin  only  in  your  base 
and  malignant  nature.  Now,  Mr.  Editor  of  the 
American  Citizen,"  cried  Van  Ness,  "  you  may  stand 
up!" 

As  though  unable  to  resist  the  tone  of  command  used 
by  his  visitor,  Cheetham  pushed  back  his  chair  and  faced 
the  man  who  had,  during  the  past  few  minutes,  called 
him  a  deliberate  liar  three  times  in  succession. 

"  While  Colonel  Burr  is  absent  in  the  South,  and 
while  he  is  completing  his  official  duties  at  Washington, 
I  am  his  personal  representative  in  this  city,  and  I  wish 
to  say  to  you,  Mr.  Editor  of  the  American  Citizen, 
that  if  another  article  reflecting  upon  the  character  or 
integrity  of  Colonel  Burr  appears  in  the  estimable  paper 
of  which  you  are  so  proud  to  be  the  editor,  I  will  seek 
you  out  and  horsewhip  you  whenever  and  wherever  I 
find  you.  If  you  resist,  I  will  shoot  you  as  I  would  a 
dog  and  all  good  citizens  will  applaud  my  action.  You 
are  not  fit  to  meet  a  gentleman  upon  the  field  of  honor, 
and  you  will  never  have  that  opportunity,  however  much 
you  may  strive  for  it." 

With  these  words,  Van  Ness  left  the  office,  slamming 
the  door  behind  him.  Cheetham  sank  into  his  chair, 
clenched  his  hands,  and  ground  his  teeth  in  rage.  Then 
he  sat  for  a  few  moments  going  over  in  his  mind 
the  events  which  had  just  taken  place.  With  a  mut 
tered  curse,  he  took  the  article  which  he  had  read  with 
such  expressions  of  satisfaction  so  short  a  time  before, 
and,  tearing  it  into  small  pieces,  threw  it  upon  the 
floor. 

In  December,  Colonel  Burr  reached  Washington  and 
resumed  his  seat  as  President  of  the  Senate.  A  large 
part  of  the  session  was  taken  up  with  the  trial  of  Judge 
Chase  who  had  been  impeached.  As  provided  in  such 
cases,  the  Vice-President  sat  as  judge  while  the  senators 
constituted  the  jury.  As  one  of  the  senators  remarked : 


1 32  BLENNERHASSETT 

"  During  the  trial,  Burr  presided  with  the  justice  and 
impartiality  of  a  saint  and  the  rigor  of  a  devil." 

Then  came  the  closing  hours  of  Congress.  Vice- 
President  Burr  delivered  a  valedictory  which  was  ex 
temporaneous.  No  verbatim  report  has  come  down  to 
posterity.  One  of  the  senators  being  asked  how  long 
Burr  spoke,  replied : 

"  I  don't  know ;  it  may  have  been  ten  minutes,  or  an 
hour,  or  a  day.  When  Burr  speaks,  I  hear  nothing  but 
his  voice,  and  see  nothing  but  his  eyes." 

At  the  close  of  the  speech,  many  of  the  senators  were 
in  tears  and  unable  to  attend  to  the  few  remaining  mat 
ters  of  public  business.  As  in  later  years,  the  clock  was 
pushed  back  in  order  that  the  senators  might  have  time 
to  recover  their  composure  and  finish  their  official 
duties  with  a  due  regard  for  senatorial  decorum. 

That  night,  one  of  the  senators  asked  Colonel  Burr 
to  dine  with  him  at  a  friend's  house  in  Virginia.  The 
affair  was  an  informal  but  pleasant  one,  and  it  was  quite 
late  when  the  two  friends  reached  the  little  promontory 
in  front  of  what  afterwards  became  the  Lee  mansion 
at  Arlington,  and  looked  down  upon  the  Potomac  to 
see  if  the  boat  which  was  to  carry  them  across  had 
arrived.  The  sleeping  city  lay  before  them  under  the 
white  light  of  the  moon.  As  they  both  contemplated 
the  scene,,  his  friend  remarked : 

"  At  our  feet  lies  the  capital  of  our  great  country." 

"  I  have  no  country !  "  replied  Burr.  "  When  to 
morrow's  sun  rises,  the  only  civic  title  to  which  I  shall 
have  a  right  will  be  that  of  an  inhabitant  of  the  world." 
Then  he  smiled,  but  with  a  quick  resumption  of  his 
usual  imperturbability  and  gravity  of  demeanor  added, 
"  But  the  world  is  wide,  and  there  are  many  countries 
which  need  a  deliverer  to  free  them  from  tyranny  and 
oppression." 


CHAPTER  XIII 

A    PRESIDENTIAL    STRATAGEM 

IN  1 80 1,  Thomas  Jefferson  and  Aaron  Burr  re 
ceived  the  same  number  of  electoral  votes.  The 
election  was  thus  thrown  into  the  House  of  Rep 
resentatives.  After  thirty-six  ballots,  Jefferson  was 
chosen  President  by  a  majority  of  one  vote,  and  Burr 
became  Vice-President.  From  that  moment,  Thomas 
Jefferson  recognized  Aaron  Burr  as  his  most  formid 
able  political  rival. 

When  Jefferson,  on  the  day  of  his  inauguration  as 
President,  rode  on  horseback  to  the  Capitol,  tied  his 
horse  to  a  hitching-post,  and  went  in  to  take  the  oath  of 
office,  he  doubtless  set  an  example  of  Republican  sim 
plicity,  which  in  some  respects  was  most  commendable. 
But,  oy  evincing  in  public  so  little  appreciation  of  the 
dignity  of  the  great  office  to  which  he  had  been  elevated, 
he  betrayed  a  contempt  for  official  dignity,  the  contem 
plation  of  which  is  such  a  potent  factor  in  creating  the 
feeling  that  is  known  as  patriotism,  that  was  not  so 
praiseworthy. 

In  the  spring  of  1805,  it  was  recognized  on  all  sides 
that  Burr's  reputed  agreement  or  understanding  with 
the  Federalists  to  beat  Jefferson,  his  defeat  in  the  New 
York  election  for  Governor,  and  his  killing  of  Hamil 
ton  had  effectually  put  an  end  to  his  further  political 
advancement  in  the  United  States.  Yet  he  was  known 
by  all  parties  to  be  a  man  of  infinite  resources  and  his 
every  movement  was  watched  with  intense  interest  by 
them. 


I34  BLENNERHASSETT 

Thomas  Jefferson,  third  President  of  the  United 
States,  sat  in  the  White  House  at  Washington.  He 
was  reading  a  communication  signed  by  General  James 
Wilkinson.  While  thus  engaged,  a  visitor  was  an 
nounced.  The  President  looked  at  the  card  and  gave 
directions  for  his  admittance.  Mr.  John  Graham  en 
tered.  He  was  an  officer  connected  with  the  secret 
service  of  the  government.  For  a  long  time  he  had 
been  watching  the  movements  of  Burr  and  reporting 
thereon  directly  to  the  President. 

"  I  cannot  find,"  said  Graham,  "  that  our  man  has 
any  plans  perfected.  No  one,  of  course,  can  divine 
what  is  going  on  in  that  busy  brain  of  his.  We  can 
only  judge  by  his  actions.  At  present,  he  sees  many 
people  and  talks  with  many  people,  but  they  are  his 
friends  and  it  will  be  dangerous  to  make  inquiries  that 
would  elicit  positive  information." 

"  I  am  sure,"  said  the  President,  "  that  he  has  some 
deep-laid  scheme  in  mind.  It  will  not  do  to  wait  until 
he  has  completed  his  plans  for  then  we  shall  have  no 
opportunity  to  gather  our  forces  to  frustrate  them." 

"  What  is  Your  Excellency's  plan  ? "  inquired 
Graham. 

"  I  have  a  little  stratagem  in  my  mind,"  replied  the 
President,  "  that  I  have  decided  to  confide  to  you,  and 
to  intrust  the  carrying  out  of  it  to  your  wisdom  and 
discretion." 

"  Pardon  me,"  said  Graham,  "  but  I  do  not  exactly 
like  this  kind  of  service,  Your  Excellency.  Mr.  Burr, 
with  all  his  faults,  is  a  member  of  our  party." 

;<  You  mean  he  was,"  said  the  President,  "  we  have 
no  further  use  for  him." 

"  If  Your  Excellency  will  pardon  my  speaking 
plainly,"  said  Graham,  "  it  seems  rather  hard  that  the 
man  who  had  the  tact  to  unite  the  Democratic  party  in 
the  State  of  New  York,  to  bring  the  Clintons  and  Liv 
ingstons  to  act  in  concert  with  him  and  thus  carry  the 


A  PRESIDENTIAL  STRATAGEM  135 

State  for  our  party,  deserves  something  better  at  our 
hands  than  to  be  spied  upon  and  led  into  further 
trouble." 

"  If  you  continue  your  remarks  in  the  same  vein," 
answered  the  President,  drily,  "  I  shall  be  forced  to 
consider  you  in  the  same  category  with  Colonel  Burr; 
in  other  words,  come  to  the  conclusion  that  your  use 
fulness  to  our  party  is  over.  I  do  not  care  to  confide 
the  details  of  my  little  stratagem  to  any  half-hearted 
adherent.  I  design  it  as  a  final  test  of  Colonel  Burr's 
loyalty  and  fidelity.  If  he  passes  through  it  safely,  I 
give  you  my  word,  Graham,  that  I  will  appoint  him  to 
some  mission  abroad  or  to  some  high  position  under 
the  government.  If  he  fails,  and  falls  a  victim  to  our 
little  plot,  you  will  agree  with  me  that  he  is  a  man  so 
unstable  in  his  character  and  so  little  to  be  depended 
upon  in  any  emergency,  that  our  party  will  be  well  rid 
of  him." 

"  Under  those  conditions,  Your  Excellency,  I  do  not 
see  that  I  can  interpose  any  further  objections." 

Then  the  President  proceeded  to  unfold  to  Graham 
the  details  of  his  plan,  which  was  to  have  some  friend 
of  Colonel  Burr  induce  him  to  go  West  to  Kentucky  or 
Tennessee,  when  it  became  a  State,  with  the  idea  of 
being  elected  a  representative  to  Congress. 

"  My  object,"  said  the  President,  "  is  to  keep  him 
away  from  Washington  for  the  present,  and  to  have 
him  meet  new  people.  You  know  as  well  as  I  do  the 
peculiar  relations  that  General  James  Wilkinson  used 
to  hold  to  our  government." 

"  Yes,"  remarked  Graham,  "  and  to  another  govern 
ment." 

"That  should  not  be  mentioned,"  remarked  the  Presi 
dent,  "  even  in  my  presence.  When  Burr  reaches  the 
West,  I  wish  him  to  see  Wilkinson.  Wilkinson  will 
have  his  directions  from  me  personally,  for  I  shall 
order  his  immediate  attendance  here  in  Washington. 


136  BLENNERHASSETT 

I  shall  depend  in  this  matter  upon  you  and  General  Wil 
kinson,  and  if  my  estimate  of  Colonel  Burr  is  correct, 
you  will  find  that  he,  as  Shakespeare  says,  is  fit  for 
treasons,  stratagems,  and  spoils.  Then  our  compact  is 
made.  If  Colonel  Burr  passes  through  this  ordeal  suc 
cessfully,  he  is  to  be  taken  back  into  our  party  and  re 
warded.  If  he  falls,  to  quote  Shakespeare  once  more, 
he  will  fall  like  Lucifer,  never  to  hope  again. 

"  You  may  call  upon  me  again  in  a  few  days,"  con 
tinued  the  President,  "  and  I  will  give  you  more  spe 
cific  instructions.  In  the  meantime,  I  would  suggest 
that  you  keep  a  close  watch  on  the  comings  and  goings 
of  that  great  friend  of  our  party,  Colonel  Burr." 

Graham  noticed  the  intended  sarcasm  but  he  said 
nothing  and  with  a  low  bow,  took  his  departure. 

If  Burr's  political  future  was  so  surely  .blasted,  why 
was  the  President  still  so  keen  in  his  pursuit  ?  What  had 
he  to  fear  from  a  rival  suffering  from  such  a  load  of 
political  and  social  odium?  Why  should  he  still  fol 
low  up  with  enmity  a  man  who  was  virtually  ostra 
cised  by  the  so-called  good  men  of  all  parties  ?  He  had 
been  elected  for  a  second  term  and  there  was  every 
indication  that  his  successor,  in  1809,  would  be  some 
other  member  of  the  Virginian  junta — either  Mr.  Mad 
ison  or  Mr.  Monroe. 

How  could  a  man  who  had  borne  so  grand  a  part 
in  the  struggle  for  American  freedom,  and  who  had 
filled  with  so  much  honor  and  credit  the  high  posi 
tions  to  which  the  confidence  and  suffrages  of  his  coun 
trymen  had  elevated  him;  how  could  a  man  of  such 
good  birth,  culture,  and  refinement,  and  the  presumable 
possessor  of  high  moral  principles,  sink  so  low  as  to 
devise  so  pitiful  and  despicable  a  stratagem  to  ruin  a 
political  rival;  and,  above  all,  use  a  paid  agent  of  the 
government  as  the  instrument  of  his  personal  spite? 
By  it,  he  inaugurated  that  relentless  strife,  based  upon 
his  envy  and  fear  of  Aaron  Burr  as  his  great  political 


A  PRESIDENTIAL  STRATAGEM  137 

rival,  which  culminated  in  the  historic  trial  at  Rich 
mond  three  years  later,  where  Jefferson  used  in  vain 
the  great  power  of  the  National  government  to  crush 
an  indomitable  foe. 

About  a  week  after  his  interview  with  the  President, 
Mr.  Graham  received  a  communication  informing  him 
that  his  salary  had  been  materially  increased.  He 
smiled  as  he  read  the  communication  apprising  him  of 
the  fact. 

"If,  when  the  President  asked  me  to  undertake  the 
task  of  ferreting  out  Burr's  schemes,  I  had  signified  a 
great  willingness  to  do  so,  I  do  not  think  I  should 
have  received  this  increase.  It  makes  little  difference 
to  me  whether  I  follow  up  Burr  or  some  other  man, 
but  it  does  make  a  great  deal  of  difference  to  me 
whether  I  am  well  paid  for  it  or  not." 

He  finished  his  soliloquy  by  saying,  "  I  have  found 
out,  as  the  result  of  many  years'  experience,  that  it 
is  much  better  to  have  your  employer  raise  your  salary 
voluntarily,  than  it  is  to  make  a  specific  demand  for 
an  advance." 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THE  FLY   AND  THE  WEB 

THE  spider  spins  its  web  slowly  and  laboriously, 
and  often,  when  just  completed,  it  is  swept 
away  and  destroyed  by  the  dust-cloth  or 
broom  of  the  tidy  housewife;  but  the  little  worker, 
nothing  daunted,  begins  its  task  once  more  as  though 
nothing  had  happened.  So  it  is  with  the  plots  of  con 
spirators  which  are  often  wrecked  by  the  intentional 
or  accidental  doings  of  their  proposed  victims. 

Burr  listened  attentively  to  the  proposition,  made  to 
him  by  an  assumed  friend,  that  he  should  go  to  Ken 
tucky  and  endeavor  to  secure  an  election  to  Congress 
from  that  State;  but  he  did  not  indicate  a  positive 
acquiescence  in  the  plan,  nor  commit  himself  in  any 
way  to  the  project. 

Graham  followed  Burr  as  a  huntsman  would  a  stag, 
never  losing  sight  of  his  intended  prey ;  but  he  learned 
little  of  importance  to  communicate  to  his  presidential 
confederate. 

The  chief  executive,  however,  had  not  been  idle.  In 
compliance  with  his  orders,  General  Wilkinson  had 
reported  at  Washington,  and  the  part  that  he  was  to 
play  in  the  presidential  stratagem  was  carefully  ex 
plained  to  him.  Wilkinson  was  not  at  all  averse  to 
becoming  a  party  to  the  plot,  for  he  felt  that  this  new 
confidence  reposed  in  him  was,  in  fact,  a  condonation  of 
his  past  offences. 

Wilkinson,  like  most  men  who  serve  two  masters, 
had  been  successful;  not  so  much  by  his  own  ability 

138 


THE  FLY  AND  THE  WEB      139 

as  by  the  force  of  circumstances  that  could  not  be 
resisted.  Spain,  in  a  moment  of  weakness,  had  ceded 
Louisiana  to  France,  or  rather  to  Napoleon,  for,  at 
that  time  he  was  France,  coupled  with  the  understand 
ing,  however,  that  it  was  to  be  forever  retained  by 
France  and  never  to  be  ceded  or  sold  to  any  other 
country;  but  in  1803,  Napoleon  had  urgent  need  of 
funds,  for  a  war  with  England  was  imminent,  and 
though,  when  an  offer  was  made  by  the  United  States 
to  purchase  Louisiana,  he,  at  first,  refused  point  blank, 
the  transfer  was  finally  made,  the  price  fixed  being 
fifteen  millions  of  dollars  for  land  and  people.  Strange, 
then,  that  in  the  last  century,  so  many  people  objected  to 
the  purchase  of  the  Philippines  because  the  inhabitants 
were  included  in  the  bargain,  but  the  acquisition  of 
Louisiana  was  surely  a  notable  precedent.  As  a  reward 
for  his  double-dealing,  President  Jefferson  had  ap 
pointed  General  Wilkinson  Governor  of  the  Territory 
of  Louisiana.  The  President  knew  his  man.  He  told 
Wilkinson  to  inflame  Burr's  ambition  with  stories  of 
the  wealth  and  power  to  be  gained  in  Texas  and  Mex 
ico.  By  using  Wilkinson  as  a  tool,  he  had  virtually 
captured  Louisiana  without  firing  a  gun.  He  now 
proposed  to  use  both  Wilkinson  and  Burr  so  as  to  win 
by  strategy  Texas,  Mexico,  and  the  Great  West  which 
stretched  from  the  Mississippi  to  the  Pacific.  He  was 
undoubtedly  sincere  in  professing  his  belief  in  popular 
rights.  His  dream  of  empire  was  a  country  which 
was  to  become  a  haven  of  refuge  for  the  weak  and 
oppressed  from  all  lands.  But  in  the  President's  plan, 
while  Burr  was  to  be  led  on  to  his  ruin,  the  President 
counted  on  Wilkinson's  capacity  for  double-dealing 
saving  him  at  the  proper  time. 

Burr  and  Wilkinson  met  at  a  private  dinner  party, 
and  the  origin  of  what  afterwards  became  known  as 
the  Great  Conspiracy  was  at  this  festive  board.  Gra 
ham  kept  in  the  background.  His  role  was  that  of 


1 4o  BLENNERHASSETT 

executioner,  and  the  time  had  not  yet  come  for  him 
to  build  the  scaffold  and  adjust  the  rope. 

Wilkinson  was  in  his  element.  He  felt  now  that  he 
was  on  a  better  footing  with  the  President.  A  man  of 
talent  and  genius  was  to  be  led  to  his  ruin,  but  what 
did  that  matter  to  Wilkinson,  if  he  rose  higher  when 
his  victim  fell  ? 

Wilkinson's  speech  was  fervid  in  praise  of  the  pos 
sibilities  of  the  future. 

"  You  can't  understand  it,  Burr,"  he  said  one  day, 
when  their  intimate  social  relations  had  lasted  about  a 
fortnight,  "  unless  you  come  to  New  Orleans  and  ex 
amine  the  situation  from  a  close  point  of  view.  I  am 
going  back  in  a.  few  days  and  you  must  go  with 
me.  We  will  stop  at  Frankfort  and  Nashville  and  I 
will  introduce  you  to  some  friends  upon  whom  we  both 
can  count." 

But  Burr  declined  this  proposition.  "  It  is  too  early 
for  us  to  be  seen  so  much  together,"  he  remarked. 

Wilkinson  had  shown  him  the  equipage  in  which  he 
proposed  to  return  to  New  Orleans.  It  consisted  of  a 
gorgeous  carriage,  drawn  by  four  beautiful  horses, 
with  drivers,  outriders,  and  escort  in  full  military  uni 
form.  It  looked  more  like  the  triumphal  progress  of 
an  Imperial  Viceroy  than  the  quiet  return  to  his  duties 
of  an  American  territorial  governor. 

So  it  happened  that  "  General  "  and  "  Governor  " 
Wilkinson  proceeded  on  his  way  in  state,  while  Burr 
journeyed  on  horseback  to  Pittsburgh,  where  he  pur 
chased  a  flatboat,  which  was  in  reality  a  raft  with  a 
small  cabin  built  thereon,  to  take  him  down  the  Ohio 
River.  The  boat  was  carried  along  by  the  current  of 
the  stream,  and  required  as  crew  but  two  men,  who, 
provided  with  long  poles,  prevented  its  running  aground 
or  coming  into  collision  with  other  rafts  or  boats. 

Just  as  Burr  was  preparing  to  start  upon  this  mo 
mentous  voyage,  what  appeared  to  be  a  prematurely 


THE  FLT  AND  THE  WEB     141 

old  man  approached  him  and  inquired  whether  he  could 
secure  a  passage  to  Marietta. 

The  great  want  of  our  countrymen  a  hundred  years 
ago  was  the  means  of  speedy  and  comfortable  trans 
portation.  Long  voyages  could  only  be  made  on  horse 
back,  in  vehicles,  or  by  boat,  and  they  were  slow  and 
tedious.  Among  gentlemen,  it  was  the  usual  custom 
to  help  a  stranger  on  his  way  without  the  hope  of  re 
ward.  In  fact,  to  be  tendered  money  for  such  a  ser 
vice  would  have  been  considered  an  affront. 

"  Come  right  aboard,  sir,"  said  Burr,  "  we  are  just 
going  to  cast  off.  I  am  alone  and  should  be  glad  of 
your  company."  The  stranger  thanked  him  politely, 
and  stepped  upon  the  raft.  His  only  baggage  consisted 
of  a  small  portmanteau. 

The  first  day  and  night  passed  pleasantly.  The 
stranger  was  taciturn,  but  he  was  a  good  listener  and 
his  host  was  ever  a  most  delightful  talker. 

The  next  morning,  seeing  a  large  flock  of  birds 
hovering  over  the  river,  Burr  went  to  the  little  cabin 
and  got  his  pistol  case.  He  loaded  and  primed  the 
weapons  and  brought  down  several  brightly-plumaged 
victims  by  his  good  marksmanship,  the  birds  being 
secured  by  means  of  the  long  poles. 

The  old  gentleman  watched  the  sport  attentively. 
Finally  Burr  turned  towards  him  and,  handing  him  a 
pistol,  said,  "wouldn't  you  like  to  try  your  hand?" 
The  stranger  accepted  the  weapon  and  walked  slowly 
towards  the  other  end  of  the  raft  until  he  was  screened 
from  view  by  the  intervening  cabin.  Burr  continued 
shooting,  and  the  two  polemen  were  kept  busily  en 
gaged  in  securing  the  trophies  as  the  raft  swept  by 
them. 

Suddenly  a  loud  report  rang  out  upon  the  air,  fol 
lowed  by  a  sound  like  that  of  a  heavy  body  falling. 
Burr  dropped  the  pistol  which  he  had  just  finished 
loading  and  ran  to  the  other  end  of  the  raft.  There 


1 42  BLENNERHASSETT 

a  horrible  sight  met  his  astonished  gaze.  Prone  upon 
his  face  lay  the  stranger,  with  the  still  smoking  pistol 
in  his  hand.  Burr  lifted  him  up,  and,  as  he  did  so,  a 
stream  of  blood  came  from  his  mouth.  A  slight  exami 
nation  showed  that  he  was  shot  through  the  lungs. 
With  the  help  of  one  of  the  polemen  the  wounded  man 
was  laid  upon  one  of  the  beds  in  the  little  cabin.  The 
flow  of  blood  was  stanched  and  a  strong  stimulant 
administered.  The  man  soon  opened  his  eyes  and 
looked  up  at  Burr  who  sat  beside  him  holding  his 
hand. 

"  A  sad  accident,"  said  Burr.  "  How  did  it  hap 
pen?" 

The  man  shook  his  head  and  said  feebly,  "  It  was 
done  intentionally;  I  aimed  at  my  heart,  but  my  hand 
was  unsteady." 

"  But  why?  "  asked  Burr,  in  his  direct  manner. 

"  I  will  tell  you,"  said  the  man,  "  if  my  strength  will 
allow  me." 

Burr  gave  him  a  drink  of  brandy  which  put  new  life 
into  his  veins. 

"  Do  you  know  me  ?  "  asked  the  man.  Burr  shook 
his  head. 

"I  know  you,"  the  stranger  continued;  "you  are 
Colonel  Aaron  Burr;  you  killed  General  Hamilton. 
Would  that  I  had  died  as  he  did." 

Burr,  inwardly,  was  somewhat  astonished,  but  be 
trayed  no  feeling.  The  stranger  continued  : 

"  My  name  is  Janes,  Timothy  Janes.  I  used  to  be 
the  Honorable  Timothy  Janes,  for  I  was  a  member  of 
Congress,  from  Pennsylvania,  during  your  last  two 
years  in  the  Senate." 

'  You  have  a  right  to  the  title  now,  having  once 
used  it,"  remarked  Burr  quietly. 

"  No !  "  said  the  man  sadly,  "  there  is  nothing  honor 
able  about  me  now.  I  will  tell  you  why.  One  day  in 
debate  I  said  something  which  I  thought  to  be  true  and 


THE  FLY  AND  THE  WEE      143 

which  I  have  since  learned  was  true.  It  reflected  upon 
the  honor  of  a  southern  member  who,  without  asking 
for  an  explanation  or  an  apology,  sent  me  a  peremp 
tory  challenge  to  fight  a  duel.  I  was  a  member  of  the 
Orthodox  church  and  told  the  gentleman  who  called 
upon  me  that  it  was  against  my  principles  to  shed 
blood  in  such  a  way,  and  that  I  could  not  fight  him. 
He  did  not  return  and  I  supposed  the  whole  affair  had 
blown  over.  Not  so!  After  Congress  closed,  I  went 
home  and  found,  to  my  surprise,  that  my  would-be 
adversary  had  had  an  account  of  the  affair  printed  in 
a  paper  published  in  his  district,  in  which  I  was  called 
a  liar,  a  blackguard,  a  poltroon,  and  a  coward,  for  I 
had  refused  an  honorable  reparation  for  what  was 
called  both  an  insult  and  an  injury." 

Here  the  speaker's  strength  gave  way  and  he  lay 
motionless  for  some  minutes.  Burr  gave  him  more 
brandy  and  he  was  soon  able  to  continue  his  story. 

"  Marked  copies  of  the  paper  were  sent  to  all  the 
editors  and  influential  men  in  my  district.  A  political 
opponent,  who  wished  my  seat  in  Congress,  fanned 
the  flame,  and,  although  I  had  spoken  the  truth,  I  found 
myself  a  discredited  and  dishonored  man  among  my 
own  people.  I  went  South  to  see  my  adversary  to  ar 
range  a  settlement  of  our  difficulties.  He  refused  to 
let  me  enter  the  house;  he  sent  word  that  if  I  had  a 
written  apology,  I  could  send  it  to  him  by  one  of  his 
slaves.  This  I  would  not  do,  and  I  returned  home. 
In  a  short  time,  other  marked  copies  of  a  paper,  con 
taining  what  purported  to  be  an  account  of  my  visit, 
were  sent  to  those  who  were  once  my  friends  and  sup 
porters.  In  this  account,  it  was  stated  that  instead  of 
apologizing  I  had  repeated  the  calumny  and  was  kicked 
out  of  the  house  by  a  slave." 

The  stranger  stopped.  He  pressed  his  hand  to  his 
heart  and  Burr  thought  the  end  had  come.  But  he 
spoke  again. 


144  BLENNERHASSETT 

"  My  brethren  in  the  church  told  me  that  I  had  done 
right,  but,"  he  cried — and  as  he  uttered  the  word  he 
raised  himself  in  bed  and  lifted  up  his  right  hand — 
"if  I  were  to  live  it  over  again,  I  would  fight  him  a 
dozen  times  rather  than  endure  the  life  I  have  led." 

His  strength  was  gone.  He  fell  back  heavily  upon 
the  bed  and  another  stream  of  blood  welled  from  his 
lips.  He  was  dead. 

The  flatboat  stopped  when  the  next  town  on  the 
river  was  reached.  In  the  little  cemetery,  a  modest 
headstone  announces  the  fact  that  the  Honorable 
Timothy  Janes,  M.  C.,  lies  buried  there. 

The  flatboat  passed  Blennerhassett  Island  during 
the  night  when  Burr  was  asleep,  so  he  did  not  see  the 
place  that  his  name  was  to  make  famous  for  all  time. 
In  due  season,  the  Falls  of  the  Ohio  were  reached 
where,  nearby,  now  stands  the  great  city  of  Louisville. 
Here  Burr  sold  his  raft  and  continued  on  horseback  to 
Frankfort.  He  was  received,  as  the  saying  is,  with 
open  arms.  Social  civilities  were  showered  upon  him 
on  every  hand.  Next,  he  continued  his  journey  south 
ward  to  Nashville.  There  the  same  social  adulation 
awaited  him.  He  visited  General  Jackson  at  The 
Hermitage.  The  General  was  the  avowed  enemy  of 
the  Spaniard  and  was  inwardly  chafing  because  the 
President  did  not  find  some  pretext  which  would  oblige 
Congress  to  declare  war  and  allow  him  to  lead  his 
Tennessee  riflemen  against  the  hated  foe. 

"  I  have  a  good  mind,"  said  he,  one  day,  to  Burr, 
"  to  take  a  thousand  of  my  trusty  men  and  whip  Spain 
on  my  own  hook." 

"  But  the  United  States  authorities  would  call  that 
treason,"  remarked  Burr. 

"Would  they?"  cried  the  old  war-horse.  "Then 
I  would  answer  them  as  Patrick  Henry  did :  '  If  that 
be  treason,  make  the  most  of  it.'  Treason?  Non 
sense  !  "  the  old  general  exclaimed.  "  Why !  Before 


THE  FLT  AND  THE  WEE     145 

the  Mississippi  was  opened  to  our  trade,  George  Wash 
ington  himself  said,  that  with  three  hundred  of  my  West 
Augusta  riflemen  I  could  carve  my  way  to  the  Gulf. 
Was  it  treason  when  Washington  said  that?  "  Jackson 
asked,  ironically. 

Burr  did  not  reply.  But  the  question  sent  hosts  of 
new  ideas  surging  through  his  fertile,  active  brain,  and 
chimeras  of  future  fame  and  fortune  were  mirrored 
before  his  heated  imagination. 

New  Orleans!  The  city  of  La  Belle  Creole.  With 
what  delight  Burr  looked  upon  this  European  city,  at 
the  end  of  his  long  voyage  through  almost  trackless 
wildernesses!  It  was  like  the  mirage  which  the  lost 
traveler  sees  when  hope  has  almost  vanished;  and  when 
that  disappears,  the  last  hope  goes  too. 

Wilkinson  was  ubiquitous.  He  was  at  Burr's  right 
hand  from  morn  till  night.  He  introduced  him  to  the 
wealth,  culture,  and  beauty  of  this  western  imitation 
of  beautiful  Paris.  At  private  dinner,  public  banquet, 
social  levee,  and  official  ball,  the  late  Vice-President 
shone  conspicuously  by  his  personal  beauty,  courtly 
grace,  and  sparkling  wit.  He  charmed  all  with  whom 
he  came  in  contact. 

Then  Wilkinson  drew  him  from  these  scenes  of  fes 
tivity.  Burr,  mounted  upon  a  superb  charger,  reviewed 
the  United  States  army  and  was  greeted  with  acclama 
tion. 

Then  Wilkinson  took  him  to  the  dividing  line 
between  American  and  Spanish  territory  and  pointed 
to  the  Promised  Land. 

"  When  you  come  down,"  said  Wilkinson,  "  with 
your  twenty  thousand  trusty  riflemen  behind  you,  I 
shall,  of  course,  be  obliged  to  make  a  show  of  resistance. 
But  what  can  I  do?  The  popular  heart  will  be  fired 
by  your  audacity.  The  President  will  find  some  pre 
text,  Congress  will  declare  war,  and  then  we  will  move 
forward  together  as  brothers  in  arms  until  we  plant 


146  BLENNERHASSETT 

our  victorious  flag  above  the  Halls  of  the  Montezu- 
mas." 

Thus  duped  and  deceived,  Burr  fell  an  easy  victim, 
and,  like  the  fly  in  the  old  story,  walked  boldly  into  the 
web  that  had  been  prepared  for  him.  It  must  be  ac 
knowledged,  however,  that  he  was  led  to  take  this 
step  as  much  by  his  personal  ambition  as  by  the  assis 
tance  which  he  counted  upon  receiving,  when  needed, 
from  the  army  of  the  United  States. 

Burr  again  turned  his  eyes  eastward.  He  was 
tired  of  parlor  and  banquet-hall  and  ball-room.  He 
longed  for  the  saddle  and  the  field  of  glory.  Money 
and  men  he  must  have.  Money  first;  from  friends, 
from  relatives,  and  interested  supporters.  Men  of 
gigantic  frame  and  iron  nerve  from  the  clearings  made 
in  the  mighty  wildernesses  of  the  West.  He  would  yet 
sit  upon  a  throne,  a  crown  upon  his  head.  By  his  side, 
his  daughter  Theodosia,  the  first  lady  in  the  land. 
At  his  feet,  his  little  grandson,  the  heir  presumptive  to 
the  throne  which  he  had  raised.  Wilkinson  should  be 
the  general  of  his  army  and  Truxton  the  admiral  of 
his  fleet.  His  domains  should  reach  from  Canada  to 
the  Isthmus,  and  from  the  Mississippi  to  the  Pacific. 
Napoleon  might  bring  Continental  Europe  to  his  feet, 
but  Aaron  Burr  would  rule  a  mightier  kingdom. 


CHAPTER  XV 

A  PALACE  IN  THE  WOODS 

WHEN  Kate  recovered  consciousness,  she 
found  herself  lying  face  downward  on  the 
greensward.  Lifting  her  head,  she  looked 
about  her.  She  saw  something  bright  gleaming  among 
the  green  shoots  of  the  turf.  Yes,  they  were  the  pieces 
of  silver  and  the  pieces  of  gold  that  she  had  dropped 
when  she  fainted  and  fell  to  the  ground.  Then  there 
came  a  mighty  rush  of  memory,  and  she  saw  once  more 
the  revengeful  face  of  Frederic  and  heard  once  more 
his  cruel  words. 

It  was  very  warm.  The  sun  rode  high  in  the  heavens, 
and  its  burning  rays  penetrated  every  nook  and  corner 
of  the  little  clearing.  The  birds  had  hushed  their  songs 
and  were  resting  quietly  in  the  shade  afforded  by  the 
leaves  and  trunks  of  the  trees.  On  every  side  could  be 
heard  the  lazy  droning  of  the  insects,  that  musical  ac 
companiment  that  Nature  supplies  as  part  of  a  hot  sum 
mer  day. 

Kate  rose  to  her  feet  with  difficulty.  She  felt  weak 
and  there  was  a  blinding  pain  through  her  eyes  and 
head.  She  walked  slowly  to  the  little  grassy  mound 
beside  the  tree  and  rested  for  a  while.  Then  she  re 
turned  to  where  the  money  had  fallen,  and,  dropping 
upon  her  knees,  picked  it  up  slowly  and  laboriously,  piece 
by  piece;  then  she  attempted  to  count  it,  to  make  sure 
that  she  had  lost  none,  but  could  not.  Returning  to 
the  farm-house,  she  went  up  to  her  room  and  threw 
herself  upon  her  bed.  She  felt  hot  and  feverish.  One 


148  BLENNERHASSETT 

of  the  other  servants,  Mary  Williams  by  name,  had 
seen  her  come  in  and  had  noticed  her  slow  step  and 
tired  look.  In  a  short  time,  Mary  went  to  her  room 
and  found  Kate  in  a  burning  fever,  tossing  to  and  fro. 
Captain  Clarke  was  informed  of  the  fact  and  a  doctor 
was  summoned.  It  was  three  weeks  before  Kate  was 
able  to  leave  her  bed  and  sit  for  an  hour  or  two  in  the 
old-fashioned  rocker  that  stood  beside  it.  Mary  spent 
every  moment  that  she  could  spare  from  her  duties  with 
her.  Captain  Clarke  had  not  visited  her,  but  Mary  said 
he  had  asked  for  her  every  day  and  he  had  sent  her  some 
fruit  and  flowers. 

From  Mary,  Kate  learned  that  Frederic  had  a  long 
talk  with  his  father  on  the  evening  of  the  duel,  and 
the  next  day  he  had  left  home.  Mary  did  not  know 
just  where  he  had  gone  but  she  supposed  it  was  out 
West.  ' 

A  month  more  passed  by  before  Kate  had  sufficiently 
recovered  to  leave  Captain  Clarke's  house.  Upon  this 
course  she  was  resolved.  Her  relations  with  her  em 
ployer's  son  had  been  known  to  the  other  servants  and 
she  could  not  bring  herself  to  remain  there  when  they 
all  knew  that  he  had  left  home  without  even  saying 
"  Good-bye  "  to  her.  Her  interview  with  her  employer, 
just  before  her  departure,  lasted  about  ten  minutes. 
He  insisted  upon  paying  her  wages  in  full ;  she  refused 
to  receive  them  and  insisted  upon  paying  the  doctor's 
bill  and,  at  least,  a  portion  of  Mary's  wages.  The 
captain  was  equally  firm  in  his  refusal  to  accept  a  cent 
for  either  purpose ;  so  Kate  thanked  him  for  his  kind 
ness  and,  not  wishing  to  continue  the  painful  scene  any 
longer,  accepted  the  money  which  he  claimed  was  due 
her  but  which,  before  leaving,  she  gave  to  Mary. 

Where  should  she  go?  What  could  she  do?  Then 
there  came  flashing  into  her  mind  the  memory  of  that 
day  when  the  courteous  stranger,  who  had  said  he  was 
a  friend  of  Colonel  Burr,  but  who  her  lover  had  de- 


A  PALACE  IN  THE  WOODS  149 

clared  was  Colonel  Burr  himself,  had  given  her  the 
money  for  a  wedding  dowry,  and  had  also  told  her  that 
in  case  she  needed  a  friend  to  call  upon  Colonel  Burr 
at  Richmond  Hill,  in  New  York  City.  Thither  she 
went,  to  find  him  absent  as  may  be  anticipated.  The 
servant  told  her  the  master  of  the  house  was  not  at 
home.  She  was  advised  by  John,  Colonel  Burr's 
valet,  to  see  Judge  Van  Ness;  in  him,  she  recognized 
the  companion  of  Colonel  Burr  on  the  day  of  the 
duel.  He  knew  her  and  was  as  courteous  and  chival 
rous  in  his  treatment  of  her  as  if  he  had  been  Colonel 
Burr  himself.  He  insisted  that  she  should  remain  at 
his  house  until  he  wrote  to  Colonel  Burr  and  received 
an  answer,  and  she  was  forced  to  comply  or  else  go 
out  into  the  world  and  seek  a  situation.  She  men 
tioned  this  latter  alternative  but  Mr.  Van  Ness  would 
not  listen  to  it.  "  Colonel  Burr  would  never  forgive 
me,"  he  said,  "  if  I  allowed  you  to  take  such  a  course." 

With  all  possible  speed,  Burr  traversed  the  long 
stretch  of  country  between  New  Orleans  and  Phila 
delphia.  During  the  journey,  his  busy  brain  had  been 
active.  Hundreds  of  plots,  plans,  and  schemes  had 
rushed  through  his  mind,  to  be  cast  one  side  as  useless, 
or  adopted  wholly,  or  in  part,  as  of  value.  He  could 
not  declare  his  actual  aims  and  ulterior  purposes  in 
plain  language  to  everybody.  No,  he  must  talk  differ 
ently  to  different  people,  as  suited  their  comprehension 
and  availability.  To  some,  he  hinted  the  possibility  of 
his  becoming  a  resident  of  Kentucky  or  Tennessee  and 
endeavoring  to  become  elected  a  member  of  Congress 
from  one  of  those  States.  He  never  meant  to  accept 
any  such  position,  but  the  telling  of  this  story  was 
an  entering  wedge  to  the  confidence  of  those  to  whom 
it  was  told. 

To  others,  he  spoke  of  a  great  land  scheme  that  he 
had  in  mind.  Some  four  hundred  thousand  acres  of 
land  on  the  Washita  River,  owned  by  Baron  Bastrop, 


I50 


BLENNERHASSETT 


were  to  be  purchased  by  Burr.  The  land  would  cost 
forty  thousand  dollars  and  he  was  endeavoring  to  raise 
this  sum.  His  scheme  was  to  colonize  it  with  settlers 
from  the  then  western  states,  and,  as  he  told  the  story, 
visions  of  fabulous  profits  loomed  before  the  eyes  of  his 
attentive  listeners. 

Bearing  in  mind  what  Wilkinson  had  told  him  about 
the  secret  knowledge  that  he  possessed  of  the  Presi 
dent's  wishes  and  intentions,  but  which,  of  course,  if 
attributed  to  the  President  would  necessarily  have  to 
be  promptly  denied  by  him,  Burr  endeavored  both  by 
speech  and  action  to  convince  other  listeners  that  his 
plans  were  known  only  to  himself  and  his  intimate 
friends,  and  that  he  was  acting  in  direct  opposition  to 
the  President  for  whom,  and  his  followers,  he  even 
expressed  contempt.  To  those  most  closely  connected 
with  him  by  ties  of  relationship  or  long-continued 
friendship,  he  divulged  his  ulterior  purpose,  which  was 
the  capture  of  Texas  and  Mexico  and  the  formation 
of  an  independent  kingdom,  with  himself  at  the 
head. 

Burr  was  now  ready  to  make  another  journey  west 
ward,  but  this  time  he  did  not  intend  to  go  alone.  He 
felt  it  would  divert  suspicion  if  upon  this  trip  he  formed 
one  of  a  little  family  party,  evidently  bent  upon  view 
ing  the  beauties  of  the  great  West.  So  he  wrote  to  his 
son-in-law  explaining  his  proposed  schemes  at  length, 
and  asked  him  to  meet  him  in  Washington,  bringing 
his  wife  and  little  boy  with  him.  When  they  reached 
the  capital,  he  answered  Van  Ness's  letter  and  re 
quested  him  to  arrange  to  have  Miss  Embleton  join 
their  party.  This  was  done,  and  from  the  moment 
that  Theodosia  Burr  and  Kate  Embleton  met,  they 
became  firm  and  devoted  friends. 

Theodosia  was  the  result  of  what  might  be  termed 
a  hot-house  system  of  education.  She  was  far  more 
advanced  in  the  languages,  literature,  the  sciences,  and 


A  PALACE  IN  THE  WOODS  151 

art  than  the  women  of  her  time.  Kate  was  a  New 
Jersey  country  girl  whose  book  learning  had  been 
meagre;  but,  as  has  been  said,  she  was  a  great  reader 
and  had  a  most  retentive  memory.  She  was  a  capital 
foil  for  Theodosia,  and,  although  their  natures  and 
accomplishments  were  so  dissimilar,  the  two  women 
never  showed  to  better  advantage  than  when  in  each 
other's  company.  Kate's  eager  questions  and  sharp 
rejoinders  stimulated  Theodosia  to  unusual  brightness 
and  vivacity  in  speech  and  action,  and  Colonel  Burr, 
who  was  intensely  proud  of  his  daughter,  became  proud 
also  of  her  bright  and  attractive  companion,  who  was 
now  his  protege. 

The  little  party  now  set  off  on  its  overland  journey 
to  Pittsburgh  where  a  boat  was  to  be  taken.  Mr. 
Alston  was  unable  to  accompany  them  owing  to  some 
official  business  that  required  a  longer  stay  in  Wash 
ington,  but  he  promised  to  join  them  at  the  Falls  of 
the  Ohio  where  they  were  to  await  his  arrival.  The 
trip  to  Pittsburgh  was  made  by  carriage,  although, 
over  some  parts  of  the  route,  Colonel  Burr  and  Miss 
Embleton  rode  on  horseback.  At  Pittsburgh,  a  large 
boat  was  purchased.  The  cabin  contained  two  com 
paratively  large-sized  rooms,  one  being  devoted  to 
Theodosia,  her  child,  and  Kate,  and  the  other  to  Colonel 
Burr. 

The  crew,  as  on  the  former  occasion,  consisted  of  two 
polemen;  but  Burr  decided  that  the  work  would  be 
too  arduous  for  so  small  a  crew  and,  before  sailing, 
two  more  were  engaged,  one  being  a  stout  young  negro 
boy  about  eighteen  years  of  age,  and  the  other  an  old, 
weather-beaten,  grizzly-bearded,  river  boatman  who 
gave  the  name  of  James  Gray.  Two  of  the  men  took 
charge  of  the  boat  by  day  and  two  by  night.  The 
huge  raft,  for  it  was  really  nothing  more,  moved  slowly 
along  keeping  pace  with  the  current  of  the  stream. 

One  morning  the  whole  party  stood  upon  the  for- 


152  BLENNERHASSETT 

ward  part  of  the  raft  enjoying  the  beautiful  scenery 
and  the  glories  of  the  rising  sun.  Little  Aaron  Burr 
Alston  was  more  inquisitive  than  usual  that  morning. 

"Where  does  the  river  go  to,  Gamp?"  he  asked, 
turning  to  his  grandfather. 

"  It  goes  on,  on,  on,"  replied  Colonel  Burr,  "  until  it 
falls  into  the  sea." 

"  Where  does  the  sea  go  to  ?  "  persisted  little  Aaron. 

"  Into  the  ocean,"  answered  Burr,  with  a  laugh. 

"And  where  does  the  ocean  go?"  asked  the  little 
fellow,  evidently  not  satisfied  with  the  answers. 

"  The  ocean  rolls  on,  and  on,  everywhere,"  said 
Burr,  "  encircling  the  world." 

"What's  the  world?"  queried  the  little  boy,  cling 
ing  to  his  grandfather's  hand. 

"  I  am  afraid  you  will  not  understand  me,  Gam- 
pillo,"  was  the  answer,  "  when  I  tell  you  that  the  world 
is  the  great  theatre  of  human  action  in  which  I  hope, 
some  day,  you  will  become  a  greater  and  a  better  man 
than  Gamp  has  ever  been.  I  think,  Theodosia,"  he 
said,  turning  to  his  daughter,  "  that  it  would  be  well 
to  have  Gampillo  begin  the  study  of  geography.  How 
old  were  you  when  I  first  showed  you  a  map  of  the 
world?" 

"  A  little  more  than  four  years  of  age,"  replied 
Theodosia,  "  and,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  what  I 
learned  then  I  have  never  forgotten." 

Burr  excused  himself  to  the  ladies,  saying  that  he 
had  some  writing  to  do,  and  retired  to  his  room  in 
the  cabin.  Some  particularly  bright  scenery  attracted 
the  attention  of  the  ladies  to  the  left  bank  of  the  river, 
and  for  a  moment  they  became  unmindful  of  the  ac 
tions  of  little  Aaron.  James  Gray  and  the  negro  boy 
were  on  the  side  of  the  raft  where  the  ladies  stood. 
The  current  set  in  towards  the  shore  and  it  required 
constant  poling  to  keep  the  unwieldy  craft  from  run 
ning  aground. 


A  PALACE  IN  THE  WOODS  153 

Suddenly,  prompted  by  an  impulse  which  she  could 
not  explain,  the  mother  turned  her  head  and  looked 
towards  the  right-hand  side  of  the  raft.  Little  Aaron 
was  not  in  sight.  Her  first  thought  was  that  he  had 
joined  his  grandfather  in  the  cabin;  but  a  mother's 
heart  is  never  satisfied  with  uncertainty;  she  must 
know  positively.  She  ran  and  looked  into  the  cabin. 
The  boy  was  not  there. 

At  that  moment,  there  came  a  loud  cry  from  Kate. 
Theodosia  rushed  to  the  forward  end  of  the  raft  and 
Burr  dropped  his  pen  and  followed  her.  Kate  stood 
with  white  face  and  shaking  hand  pointing  to  some 
floating  object  in  the  river,  some  thirty  or  forty  feet 
ahead  of  the  raft.  All  her  education,  strength  of 
mind,  and  fortitude  could  not  prevent  the  young 
mother  from  giving  a  wild  shriek  of  alarm  and  despair. 
There  could  be  no  doubt  of  the  truth.  The  white  dress 
floating  upon  the  surface  of  the  water  must  be  that 
of  her  darling  boy.  Burr  took  in  the  situation  in  an 
instant.  He  divested  himself  of  his  coat,  took  off  his 
shoes,  and  threw  his  hat  upon  the  deck.  Turning  to 
the  boatmen  he  cried, 

"  To  the  centre  of  the  stream !  Pole  with  all  your 
might!  Call  the  other  two  men!  " 

They  were  asleep  under  an  awning  at  the  other  end 
of  the  raft.  Then  Burr  made  a  leap  into  the  water 
and  struck  out  vigorously  towards  the  floating  body. 
Of  course  the  current  helped  him,  but  it  took  along 
the  light  form  of  the  child  faster  than  it  did  his  more 
weighty  one,  and  it  required  the  lusty  strokes  of  the 
practised  swimmer  to  make  any  gain. 

It  seemed  an  age  to  Theodosia  and  Kate  before  he 
reached  the  child,  but  it  was  in  reality  not  more  than 
a  couple  of  minutes;  but  even  then  he  was  none  too 
soon.  The  little  boy  had  fallen  into  the  water  in  such 
a  way  that  his  dress  had  buoyed  him  up  and  instead  of 
sinking  he  had  floated,  but  his  garments  were  now 


154  BLENNERHASSETT 

nearly  saturated  with  water  and  in  a  very  short  time 
he  would  have  gone  down.  Burr  held  the  child  aloft, 
so  that  all  might  know  of  his  safety,  and  calmly  awaited 
the  on-coming  of  the  raft. 

The  delighted  mother  grasped  the  little  boy  in  her 
arms  and  Burr  climbed  upon  the  raft  none  the  worse 
for  the  adventure.  The  two  ladies  took  the  child,  so 
providentially  rescued,  to  the  cabin.  Burr  walked 
across  the  raft  and  fixed  his  scintillating  black  eyes 
upon  the  face  of  James  Gray. 

"  Why  didn't  you  try  to  save  the  child?  "  he  asked, 
in  sharp  tones. 

"  I  can't  swim,"  answered  the  man,  doggedly. 

Burr  gave  him  a  look  of  utter  contempt,  turned  upon 
his  heel,  and  entered  his  cabin. 

During  the  afternoon  of  that  day,  they  passed  the 
mouth  of  the  Little  Kanawha  and  came  in  sight  of  a 
wooded  island.  The  company  had  gathered  at  the  front 
of  the  raft  to  enjoy  the  unusual  spectacle.  Burr  knew 
who  lived  upon  the  island,  and  he  also  knew  that  he 
intended  to  stop  there  and  make  the  acquaintance  of 
the  owner.  While  in  Philadelphia,  he  had  heard  of 
Harman  Blennerhassett,  and  his  inquiries  had  elicited 
such  information  that  he  had  determined  to  become 
acquainted  with  him.  He  had  no  letters  of  introduc 
tion.  He  had  not  informed  his  companions  that  he 
intended  to  stop  at  the  island.  He  wished  the  visit  to 
appear  to  be  entirely  informal  and  not  prearranged. 

Who  was  Blennerhassett?  He  was  an  Irish  gen 
tleman,  of  good  family,  one  branch  of  it  being  repre 
sented  by  a  member  of  the  nobility.  Harman  Blenner 
hassett  had  been  educated  for  the  law,  for  it  was  the 
only  profession  which  was  open  to  him ;  his  aspirations 
did  not  lean  to  the  army,  the  navy,  or  to  the  church,  and 
for  this  reason  the  law  was  his  only  refuge.  He  had 
visited  Paris  during  the  Reign  of  Terror,  and  had  been 


A  PALACE  IN  THE  WOODS  155 

present  at  the  storming  of  the  Bastile.  The  stormy 
scenes  in  France  had  led  to  the  growth  of  the  seeds  of 
discontent  in  Ireland,  and,  on  his  return  home,  he 
recognized  that  he  must  either  cast  his  fortunes  with 
the  advance  forces  who  demanded  freedom  for  Ireland, 
or  he  must  turn  his  back  on  the  traditions  of  his  family 
and  ally  himself  with  those  whom  the  rest  of  his  people 
would  consider  their  oppressors. 

There  was  one  other  course  open  to  him.  He  could 
leave  the  country,  or  in  plain  words,  could  take  refuge 
in  flight.  Glowing  accounts  came  across  the  water  of 
the  wonderful  land  that  had  been  wrested  from  Eng 
land  and  whose  prosperous  colonies  were  now  inde 
pendent  members  of  that  rising  nation,  the  United 
States  of  America.  He  decided  to  go  to  that  great 
country.  He  sold  out  his  estates  which  brought  him 
more  than  thirty  thousand  pounds ;  then  he  visited  Eng 
land.  While  there,  he  became  acquainted  with  and 
married  Margaret  Agnew,  and  with  her  emigrated  to 
America.  After  studying  the  resources  and  probable 
future  of  the  different  sections  of  the  country,  he  fixed 
upon  the  West  as  his  future  home.  Charmed  with  an 
island  which  he  found  in  the  Ohio  River,  so  near  to 
the  shores  of  both  Ohio  and  Virginia  that  a  voice 
could  be  heard  across  the  intervening  stream,  he  had 
purchased  half  of  it,  and  there  he  had  erected  the  most 
beautiful  mansion  to  be  found  west  of  the  Allegheny 
mountains.  Materials  and  men  had  been  brought  from 
the  East;  to  the  original  cost  was  added  a  great  ex 
pense  for  transportation  and  the  board  of  the  work 
men  engaged  in  the  construction  of  this  palace  in  the 
woods.  But,  with  money,  wonders  can  be  accom 
plished;  and  it  was  so  in  this  case.  When  finished, 
nearly  half  of  his  fortune  had  been  spent  in  building 
and  decoration.  The  island  now  showed  the  beauty 
of  both  nature  and  art.  Half  was  in  its  virgin  state; 
the  other  half  had  been  still  further  beautified  by  man 


156  BLENNERHASSETT 

until  it  was  hard  to  say  whether  the  hand  of  God  or 
that  of  man  had  evoked  the  greatest  beauty,  ever  bearing 
in  mind  that  unless  the  hand  of  God  had  first  performed 
its  work  the  hand  of  man  would  have  been  power 
less. 

And  what  had  this  man,  who  had  been  rich  and  who 
lacked  the  bravery  to  stay  at  home  and  cast  his  lot  with 
his  struggling  countrymen,  done  in  this  western  wilder 
ness  ?  Like  a  knight,  he  had  been  armed  cap-a-pie  to  take 
an  honorable  part  in  the  battles  of  his  native  land,  but, 
at  the  signs  of  on-coming  strife,  his  heart  within  him 
had  weakened,  and  he  had  fled  to  the  woods  and  hidden 
himself  in  this  fairy-like  palace.  He  had  convinced 
himself  that  he  was  not  born  to  shine  in  councils  of 
war  but  was  to  achieve  a  name  for  himself  in  the  more 
peaceful  realms  of  science.  He  was  a  student  of  litera 
ture  but  he  had  never  written  a  book,  nor  had  the  pro 
duction  of  one  by  him  ever  reached  the  domain  of 
probability.  He  was  an  astronomer,  but  he  had  dis 
covered  no  star  to  bear  his  name,  nor  had  he  con 
tributed  any  valuable  data  to  the  sum  of  astronomical 
knowledge.  He  was  a  scientist,  but  no  new  discovery 
or  invention  of  value  to  his  fellow-men  had  been 
evolved  from  his  brain.  He  had  a  large  library  and 
a  well-appointed  laboratory.  He  had  thought  much, 
and  had  done  nothing.  He  was  an  heir  apparent  to 
future  greatness,  but  it  was  extremely  doubtful  if  that 
greatness  would  ever  be  secured  by  his  own  volition. 
He  needed  a  spur,  an  incentive  from  without,  and  it 
had  been  decreed  by  Fate  that  that  incentive  should  be 
supplied  by  the  small  man  with  piercing  black  eyes, 
who  stood  at  the  forward  end  of  the  lumbering  raft 
as  it  approached  the  enchanted  island  above  the 
trees  and  shrubbery  of  which  could  be  seen  the  at 
tractive  outlines  of  the  palace  in  the  woods. 

'  To  which  side  of  the  island  shall  we  steer?  "  asked 
one  of  the  polemen,  approaching  Burr. 


A  PALACE  IN  THE  WOODS  157 

"  We  will  anchor,"  Burr  replied,  "  on  the  river  bank 
opposite  to  the  front  of  the  house,  but  some  distance 
below  it." 

Burr  did  not  wish  it  to  appear  as  though  he  was 
seeking  an  invitation  to  land  upon  the  island. 

It  was  about  dusk  when  the  huge  craft  was  securely 
moored  at  the  place  designated,  and  while  supper  was 
being  prepared  the  little  party  went  ashore. 

It  seemed  so  restful  to  stand  once  more  upon  solid 
ground,  and  sit  down  upon  the  grass  beneath  the 
trees.  Little  Aaron  was  delighted ;  and  the  setting  sun 
cast  its  rays  upon  no  happier  party  than  was  gathered 
on  the  river  bank  that  evening. 

After  supper  the  party  took  a  quiet  stroll,  and,  from 
a  secluded  position  on  an  embankment,  had  an  unob 
structed  view  of  the  mansion  which  was  an  object  of 
wonder  and  admiration  on  all  sides.  There  was  no 
moon  but  the  starlit  sky  shed  a  quiet  radiance  of  its  own 
upon  the  picture. 

Burr  had  not  been  contemplating  its  natural  and 
architectural  beauties  as  had  his  companions.  Its 
strategic  value  was  uppermost  in  his  mind.  What  a 
fine  base  of  operations  it  would  make!  Here  could 
be  concealed  the  munitions  of  war  and  provisions  for 
the  men;  within  its  shady  recesses  his  recruits  could 
be  drilled  in  the  art  of  war,  without  attracting  the 
attention  that  such  proceedings  would  upon  the  main 
land.  Then  it  was  so  advantageously  situated  as  a 
point  of  embarkation  when  his  flotilla  should  be  con 
structed.  Besides,  Blennerhassett  was  reputed  to  be  a 
rich  man,  and  although  Burr  had  some  money,  and  the 
promise  of  more,  there  had  never  been  an  army  too 
well  provided  with  those  sinews  of  war — silver  and 
gold. 

The  companions  of  his  voyage  retired  early.  Burr 
sat  for  some  time  smoking  his  pipe  and  going  over  and 
over  again  in  his  mind  the  needed  military  prepara- 


158  BLENNERHASSETT 

tions  that  formed  so  important  a  part  of  his  scheme. 
Yes!  he  must  enlist  this  Prince  of  the  Woods  on  his 
side. 

Suddenly  he  arose,  and  calling  to  the  two  polemen 
who  were  on  duty  for  the  night,  he  assisted  them  in 
launching  the  small  boat  which  was  carried  on  the  after 
part  of  the  raft.  This  was  easily  accomplished  and, 
taking  a  pair  of  oars,  Burr  rowed  off  silently  and  was 
soon  lost  to  sight  in  the  shadows  of  inky  blackness 
cast  upon  the  river  by  the  tall  trees.  He  was  not  unob 
served.  The  old  boatman,  James  Gray,  who  was  off 
duty,  raised  himself  upon  his  elbow  and  looked  after  him. 

"  What  is  he  up  to  now?  "  he  asked  himself,  but,  as 
he  had  no  means  of  following  Burr,  he  fell  back  upon 
his  blanket  and  was  soon  fast  asleep. 

Burr  rowed  around  the  end  of  the  island  and  finally 
came  to  the  back  of  the  house.  The  barns  and  other 
out-buildings  could  not  be  seen  from  the  side  of  the 
river  where  the  raft  was  moored.  Burr  was  more  and 
more  impressed  with  the  fitness  of  the  place  as  a  base 
of  operations  for  the  great  scheme  that  he  had  in  mind. 
His  boat  drifted  idly  towards  the  shore.  What  was 
that — some  one  singing?  It  was  the  voice  of  a  negro 
and  it  possessed  that  wild,  weird  tone  that  seems  to 
voice  both  their  present  subjection  and  their  future 
hope.  Burr  listened  intently.  Above  the  soft  lapping 
of  the  waves,  the  words  could  be  heard  distinctly. 
It  was  an  old  woman,  singing  her  little  pickaninny  to 
sleep. 

"  I  see  a  gray  coon  in  de  corn, 

Sleep,  baby,  sleep ; 
I  heah  de  massa  blow  his  horn, 

Sleep,  baby,  sleep ; 

I  see  a  niggah  at  de  gray  coon  shoot, 
I  heah  de  echo  of  de  old  horn's  toot, 
An'  I  heah  an  owl  in  de  wild-wood  hoot, 

Sleep,  baby,  sleep. 


A  PALACE  IN  THE  WOODS  159 

Alligator  gruntin'  in  de  old  bayou, 

Sleep,  baby,  sleep; 
At  a  fat  pig  a  fishin'  in  de  flue, 

Sleep,  baby,  sleep ; 

His  teeth  dey  am  big,  an'  wide,  an'  white, 
An'  he  am  a  chucklin'  at  de  great  big  bite 
He  am  gwine  to  have  off  dat  pig  to-night. 

Sleep,  baby,  sleep. 

I  heah  de  old  wild  geese  a  flyin'  by, 

Sleep,  baby,  sleep ; 
De  air  am  a  ringin'  wid  dere  loud  cry, 

Sleep,  baby,  sleep; 

It's  gwine  to  be  cole,  but  you  am  snug 
As  de  little  hoppin'  lizard  an'  de  big  June  bug, 
So  I'll  leab  you  now,  wid  a  good-night  hug, 

Sleep,  baby,  sleep." 

The  next  morning  dawned  bright  and  beautiful. 
Rain  had  fallen  during  the  night  and  the  drops,  still 
clinging  to  the  leaves  of  the  trees,  shone  like  diamonds 
in  the  morning  sunlight.  The  boat,  in  which  Burr 
had  made  his  trip  by  starlight,  was  still  in  the  water, 
moored  to  the  side  of  the  raft.  At  Burr's  command, 
the  young  negro  boy  and  one  of  the  polemen,  named 
Ackers,  entered  the  boat  and  took  up  the  oars.  James 
Gray  would  have  been  glad  to  have  accompanied  the 
party,  but  Burr  had  not  looked  at  him  since  he  had 
given  him  that  contemptuous  glance. 

Then  Theodosia,  Kate,  and  little  Aaron  were  helped 
into  the  boat.  As  Burr  took  his  seat  in  the  bow,  Theo 
dosia  asked, 

"  Where  are  we  going,  father?  " 

Burr  replied,  "  We  are  going  to  make  a  call  upon  the 
Prince  and  Princess  who  live  in  yonder  castle."  As 
he  said  this,  he  pointed  towards  the  mansion  which  was 
lighted  up  by  the  morning  sun  and  which  seemed,  in 
reality,  to  be  a  palace  of  marble. 

"  Who  lives  there  ?  "  inquired  Kate. 


160  BLENNERHASSETT 

"  His  name  is  Blennerhassett,"  Burr  answered,  "  and 
the  fair  domain  over  which  he  reigns  is  called  Blenner 
hassett  Island." 

"  To  my  mind,"  said  Theodosia,  as  the  boat  neared 
the  little  landing-place,  "  it  will  always  be  the  Island 
Beautiful." 


CHAPTER  XVI 

THE  ISLAND  BEAUTIFUL 

THE  great  hall  of  the  Palace  in  the  Woods! 
The  room  was  of  large  dimensions,  no  doubt 
built  in  imitation  of  those  old  baronial  halls 
in  "  Merrie  England  "  which  the  owner  of  this  palace 
had  often  visited.    The  coloring  of  the  walls  was  dark 
and  sombre  rather  than  bright  and  cheerful;  but  its 
subdued  tints  were  relieved  by  a  beautiful  cornice  of 
white    plaster   bordered    by    a    gilt   molding   running 
around  the  lofty  ceiling.     Its  furniture  was  rich  and 
heavy,  conforming  to  the  European  fashion  of  the  day. 

An  old  negro  servant  with  wrinkled  face  and 
whitened  hair  entered  the  great  room.  He  was  fol 
lowed  closely  by  a  young  man  in  what  might  be  called 
an  undress  military  uniform,  for  although  the  shape 
of  his  garments  indicated  that  he  belonged  to  the 
militia,  and  the  insignia  of  his  rank  betrayed  the  fact 
that  he  was  a  captain,  he  bore  no  weapons.  His  visit 
was  presumably  social  rather  than  warlike  in  its  nature. 

As  the  old  servant  politely  ushered  the  guest  into  the 
great  reception-room,  he  said,  in  a  half-explanatory 
and  half-apologetic  way. 

"  Take  a  seat,  Massa.  I'll  speak  to  Missus.  Massa 
is  takin'  off  his  shootin'  jacket.  He's  been  out  shootin' 
birds." 

The  young  man  said,  interrogatively : 

"  So  he  is  going  to  have  a  game  dinner,  Ransome  ?  " 

Ransome  laughed  and  said  with  an  unctuous  chuckle : 

"  Reckon  not,  Massa  Clarke." 
161 


1 62  BLENNERHASSETT 

"  Why  not?  "  asked  the  young  man. 

Ransome  laughed  heartily  and  chuckled  again: 

"  'Cause  he  didn't  hit  'em.  He's  terrible  nearsighted, 
Massa  is.  He  puts  the  gun  over  my  shoulder  and 
then  I  say  level,  now  level,  Massa  Blennerhassett — 
there,  a  little  to  the  right — so — and  then  a  little  to  the 
left — so — and  then  I  say  steady,  fire!  Off  goes  the 
gun,  and  off  goes  the  birds  too,  and  so  I  reckon  our 
company  won't  have  any  birds  fo'  dinner  to-day." 

"  Company  ?  "  said  the  young  man,  inquiringly. 

"  Yes,  a  gen'leman  and  two  of  the  most  beautifullest 
ladies  and  most  cunningest  little  boy  you  ever  saw. 
The  wife  is  mighty  pooty,  but  the  daughter  is  jess  as 
lively  as  a  squirrel." 

The  fact  came  to  the  young  man's  mind  that  he  was 
getting  too  inquisitive,  but  crushing  down  the  silent 
mentor  he  asked : 

"What's  the  lady's  name?" 

"  They  call  her  Kate,"  said  Ransome. 

The  young  man  turned  away  so  that  his  face  could 
not  be  seen  by  the  old  servant,  for  a  pained  expression 
had  come  over  it.  That  name  had  started  up  memories 
which,  try  as  he  might,  he  could  not  forget.  Kate! 
Kate!  That  name  was  ever  to  be  the  magic  talisman 
that  would  unlock  the  secret  chambers  of  his  heart. 
Quickly  recovering  his  composure,  Frederic  Clarke 
turned  to  Ransome  and  said  a  little  sharply : 

"  Go,  Ransome,  I'm  in  haste  to  see  your  master. 
If  he  is  not  ready  to  see  me  I  must  see  your  mistress." 
'  Yes,  Massa,"  replied  Ransome.  As  soon  as  he 
got  outside  of  the  door,  he  gave  another  of  his  oily 
little  chuckles  and  soliloquized :  "  Reckon  he  don't 
know  any  pooty  gal  named  Kate." 

The  young  man  walked  nervously  up  and  down  the 
long  room.  "  Kate,"  said  he,  "  how  that  name  brings 
back  memories  of  my  Jersey  home  and  that  fatal  morn 
ing.  She  was  determined  to  keep  that  money.  I  gave 


THE  ISLAND  BEAUTIFUL     163 

her  the  choice  and  she  remained  true  to  that  villain. 
I  left  home  the  next  day — came  to  Ohio — am  county 
sheriff  and  captain  in  the  militia." 

At  this  moment,  the  great  door  was  opened  and  Mrs. 
Blennerhassett  entered.  Frederic  advanced  towards 
her  with  outstretched  hands  and  said: 

"  My  dear  Mrs.  Blennerhassett,  I  am  delighted  to 
see  you,  though  my  business  is  with  your  husband." 

"  My  dear  Captain,"  she  replied,  "  I  hope  it  isn't  a 
very  important  engagement;  if  it  is,  you  had  better 
let  me  arrange  it.  My  husband  is  a  man  learned  in 
books,  but,  I  must  confess,  utterly  devoid  of  practi 
cality." 

The  young  captain  said,  gallantly :  "  Mr.  Blenner 
hassett  is  fortunate  in  having  so  devoted  and  compe 
tent  a  partner  to  protect  him  from  extortion." 

The  lady  laughed  merrily  and  said :  "  I  can't  always 
do  that.  Why  only  yesterday,  he  employed  an  indi 
vidual  to  gather  some  mussel  shells  for  him — he  is 
studying  conchology — and  the  party  charged  him  an 
exorbitant  price.  My  husband  asked  the  reason  for 
the  high  charge.  What  do  you  think  the  fellow 
said?" 

The  young  man  shook  his  head,  then  asked,  inter 
rogatively  : 

"  That  they  were  scarce?  " 

"  Not  only  that,"  she  replied,  "  but  gave,  as  a  further 
reason,  that  the  diving  was  so  deep." 

"Diving?  For  mussel  shells?"  cried  Frederic,  as 
he  burst  into  a  hearty  laugh. 

"  Yes,  and  when  my  husband  inquired  how  deep,  the 
man  had  the  audacity  to  say,  in  fifteen  feet  of  water." 
Then  they  both  laughed  heartily.  "  That  convinced  my 
husband,  and  he  paid  five  times  their  value  without 
further  questioning." 

The  great  door  was  again  opened  and  Blennerhassett 
appeared.  As  he  advanced,  his  wife  ran  towards  him, 


1 64  BLENNERHASSETT 

a  look  of  eager  interest  in  her  face.  She  cried  im 
pulsively  : 

"  I  am  so  glad  you  are  back  safe,  Harman.  I'm 
always  afraid  you  will  meet  with  some  accident  when 
you  go  shooting.  Were  you  fortunate  this  morning?  " 

"  Very  fortunate — for  the  birds,"  he  replied,  "  they 
got  away." 

"  Pardon  me,  Captain,"  cried  Mrs.  Blennerhassett, 
turning  towards  Frederic.  Then  she  faced  her  husband 
and  said: 

"  Here  is  Captain  Clarke,  Harman.  He  comes  to 
see  you  on  business. 

"  Glad  to  see  you,  Captain,"  said  the  latter  in  a  hos 
pitable  manner.  "  Stay  to  dinner  with  us  and  we  can 
all  talk  the  business  over,  and  Margaret  will  tell  you 
what  is  best  to  do.  I'm  sorry  for  your  sake,  Captain, 
that  I  missed  those  birds." 

"  No,"  replied  Frederic,  "  I  really  couldn't  stay  to 
dinner;  besides,  Ransome  said  you  already  have  com 
pany." 

Mr.  Blennerhassett  smiled,  as  he  remarked :  "  Com 
pany  !  We  always  have  company  or,  what  is  the  same, 
we  are  always  ready  for  it.  We  set  a  good  table  every 
day  and,  if  any  guests  come,  we  never  have  to  apolo 
gize.  As  to  the  company,  I  suppose  it  is  Mr.  Reed, 
wife,  and  daughter,  from  Marietta.  They  were  com 
ing  over  to-day.  Now,  Margaret,  do  you  know  what 
I  am  going  to  do  after  dinner  ?  " 

"  Not  going  shooting  again,  I  hope  ? "  said  his 
wife. 

"  No.  Let  us  sit  down,  Captain,  and  hear  this  little 
story;  and  Margaret  and  you  can  act  as  my  advisers. 
Three  heads  are  better  than  one  in  such  a  predicament. 
Now,  Mr.  Reed  owes  me  five  thousand  dollars.  Last 
week,  his  house  and  furniture,  barn  and  stock  were  all 
burned,  and  he  is  to-day  without  a  dollar.  What  shall 
I  do?" 


THE  ISLAND  BEAUTIFUL     165 

"  Loan  him  some  money  to  start  again,"  said  Mrs. 
Blennerhassett,  quickly. 

"  Take  his  notes  and  give  him  a  long  time  in  which 
to  pay,"  remarked  Frederic. 

Mr.  Blennerhassett  sat  for  a  moment  apparently 
considering  the  advice  which  had  been  offered  him; 
then  he  continued : 

"  I  am  greatly  obliged  to  my  kind  advisers.  I  had 
made  up  my  mind  to  give  him  the  choice  of  two  evils; 
either  a  receipt  in  full  to  square  the  debt,  or  to  let  the 
old  debt  stand  and  give  him  a  present  of  an  order  on 
the  store  in  Marietta  for  five  thousand  dollars.  Now  I 
think  my  plan  is  best." 

"  It  certainly  is — for  him,"  remarked  Frederic. 

"  What's  best  for  him  will  be  best  for  me,  won't  it 
Margaret?  "  asked  Blennerhassett,  as  he  looked  inquir 
ingly  into  his  wife's  face. 

"  In  the  future,  it  surely  will  be,  Harman,"  she  an 
swered,  quietly. 

"  Then  that's  settled,"  said  Blennerhassett,  cheer 
fully,  "  and  he  may  choose  his  own  way  about  it.  What 
do  you  wish  to  see  me  about  ?  "  he  added,  turning  to 
Frederic. 

"  To  say  we've  caught  William,  the  negro  who  stole 
your  box  of  candles,  and  Justice  Parker  is  waiting  for 
you  to  come  over  and  identify  the  goods  before  he 
orders  William  to  be  flogged." 

Mrs.  Blennerhassett  turned  towards  Frederic  and 
said  in  an  appealing  tone : 

"  I  am  sorry  for  the  foolish  man ;  I  pity  him.  Can 
not  the  punishment  be  made  as  light  as  possible  ?  " 

"  The  punishment  for  stealing  candles  ought  to  be 
light,  hadn't  it,  Captain?"  asked  Blennerhassett. 
Without  evincing  any  appreciation  of  his  own  joke, 
he  continued :  "  Well,  do  you  know,  as  soon  as  I  missed 
those  candles,  before  I  could  get  any  more  here  from 
Marietta,  I  went  to  work  on  a  substitute.  I  knew  that 


1 66  BLENNERHASSETT 

animal  substances  when  left  in  moist  places,  or  under 
water,  turned  to  adipocere,  and  I  thought  it  might  take 
the  place  of  spermaceti.  So,  a  week  ago,  I  put  some 
meat  in  an  inlet  in  the  river  to  undergo  a  change.  This 
morning  I  went  to  learn  the  result." 

"  If  it  was  a  success,"  said  Mrs.  Blennerhassett,  "  I 
insist  that  you  shall  not  appear  against  poor  William." 

Frederic  remarked:  "  If  the  theft  has  led  to  such  a 
valuable  discovery  you  could  afford  to  be  easy  with 
him." 

"  No,"  said  Blennerhassett,  laughing,  "  William  is 
doomed.  The  fishes  have  devoured  all  the  meat,  and 
my  theory  remains  undemonstrated  for  the  present.  I 
suppose  I  must  go  with  you  and  ease  poor  Parker's 
mind,"  Blennerhassett  continued,  as  he  arose,  "  it  won't 
take  long — only  across  the  river.  I'll  be  ready  soon. 
You  stay  here,  Captain,  and  entertain  Mrs.  Blenner 
hassett." 

"  It  will  be  the  other  way,  Mr.  Blennerhassett,"  said 
Frederic.  "  I  shall  be  the  one  who  will  be  entertained." 

"  Just  as  like  as  not,"  replied  Blennerhassett  with  a 
smile.  "Do  you  know,  Captain,  if  you  had  a  nice 
little  wife — like  mine — I  should  be  the  happiest  man  in 
the  world." 

"  I  am  sure  I  should,"  said  Frederic,  looking  at  Mrs. 
Blennerhassett,  "but  why  should  you  be  so  pleased?" 

Blennerhassett  replied :  "  I  should  have  my  own 
wife,  and  I  should  insist  upon  being  a  friend  to  yours." 
With  a  playful  glance  at  Frederic,  and  a  loving  smile 
to  his  wife,  whose  face  quickly  returned  it,  he  left  the 
room.  Turning  to  Frederic,  Mrs.  Blennerhassett  re 
marked  : 

"  My  husband  is  unusually  jovial  to-day.  I  don't 
think  it  is  because  you  have  caught  William." 

"  Nor  I,"  said  Frederic,  quickly.  "  It  is  the  joy 
that  always  comes  to  the  heart  when  it  has  decided  to 
do  a  noble  action,  such  as  he  will  do  in  Mr.  Reed's  case. 


THE  ISLAND  BEAUTIFUL     167 

What  a  happy  life  you  must  have,  Mrs.  Blennerhassett. 
This  constant  sunshine  of  the  soul  must  make  your 
home  as  near  a  heaven  as  the  world  can  show." 

She  rejoined  playfully :  "  Such  thoughts,  when  ex 
pressed  by  a  young  man,  lead  me  to  think  you  are  cast 
ing  an  eye  into  the  future.  I  wish  you  might  have  as 
happy  a  home  as  ours." 

"  A  hopeless  wish,  I  am  sorry  to  say,"  said  he,  "  it 
might  have  been,  but  I  shall  never  marry." 

"But  why?"  she  cried.  "That's  woman's  way,  I 
know,  to  ask  such  a  question;  but,  Captain  Clarke,  as 
a  true  friend,  I  ask  you  again,  why  ?  " 

"  Because  I  have  had  a  sad  experience,"  he  said, 
bitterly. 

"  But,"  remarked  Mrs.  Blennerhassett,  with  a  look 
of  interest  and  concern  showing  itself  in  her  face,  "  if 
one  experience  has  been  sad,  another  may  be  sweet." 

He  replied  somewhat  brusquely :  "  If  one  woman's 
perfidy  has  broken  my  heart,  I  shall  not  trust  in 
woman's  love  to  make  it  whole  again." 

"  And  yet,  my  dear  Captain,"  she  continued,  looking 
up  into  his  face  with  her  eyes  full  of  sympathy,  "  there 
is  not  in  the  wide  world  anything  that  can  make  it 
whole  again  but  the  love  of  a  true  woman." 

"  I  am  tempted  to  tell  you  the  story,"  rejoined  Fred 
eric,  noticing  the  sympathetic  look  in  her  face.  They 
resumed  their  seats  and  Frederic  began : 

"  I  am  the  only  son  of  a  rich  farmer  in  one  of  the 
eastern  states.  I  fell  in  love  with  one  of  our  servants, 
a  young  and  handsome  girl  of  good  family ;  but,  being 
an  orphan,  forced  to  work  for  her  support." 

"  And  your  father  refused  ?  " 

"  No,  like  a  dutiful  son,  I  told  him  of  my  choice 
before  I  spoke  to  her  and  he  consented.  I  proposed 
and  she  accepted  me." 

"  Thus  far  the  course  of  true  love  runs  smooth," 
said  Mrs.  Blennerhassett. 


1 68  BLENNERHASSETT 

"  You  could  never  imagine  what  parted  us,"  cried 
Frederic,  "  so  I  will  say  it  in  one  word — politics !  I 
chanced  to  speak  in  severe  terms  of  a  public  character, 
as  a  man  whom  I  believed  then  and  I  believe  now  to  be 
a  villain.  He  shall  be  nameless.  She  resented  my  re 
marks  and  said  she  would  never  marry  me  until  I  re 
tracted  my  words  against  him." 

"  Thus  far  you  are  to  blame,"  she  continued,  "  you 
were  the  aggressor  and  should  have  shown  you  loved 
the  woman  more  than  you  hated  the  man,  and  you 
would  have  conquered." 

"  Perhaps  you  are  right,"  he  rejoined,  "  but  mark 
the  sequel.  By  a  most  miraculous  coincidence,  which 
I  will  not  explain  now,  within  fifteen  minutes  of  our 
quarrel,  she  met  the  very  man  about  whom  we  had  had 
the  controversy.  She  was  in  tears ;  he  asked  the  cause, 
she  told  him,  and  he  gave  her  money  for  having  de 
fended  him." 

As  he  said  this,  that  old  fire,  which  had  smouldered 
for  more  than  a  year,  burst  into  a  bright  flame,  and, 
unable  to  restrain  his  feelings,  he  rose  to  his  feet  and 
walked  excitedly  up  and  down  the  room. 

"And  she  accepted  it?"  asked  Mrs.  Blenner- 
hassett. 

'  Yes,"  cried  Frederic,  as  he  stopped  suddenly  before 
her,  "  and  gloried  in  it.  I  would  have  taken  the  money 
from  her  and  thrown  it  at  his  feet.  It  seems  he  had 
given  her  his  address.  She  left  home  after  I  came 
West  and  sought  him.  He  adopted  her.  She  dresses 
in  silk  and  rides  in  her  carriage.  She  says  he  is  her 
friend.  Can  you  blame  me  if  I  look  upon  her  dresses 
and  jewels  as  the  badges  of  her  shame?  " 

"  My  poor  boy !  "  said  she,  rising  and  extending  both 
her  hands  to  him,  "  yours  was  indeed  a  bitter  cup." 

Frederic  continued :  "  I  left  home  the  day  after  our 
quarrel  and  came  to  Ohio.  I  have  prospered.  When 
my  father  dies  I  shall  be  a  rich  man.  I  shall  never 


THE  ISLAND  BEAUTIFUL     169 

marry,  for  I  still  love  that  woman,  but  to  marry  her  is 
impossible." 

Blennerhassett  entered,  dressed  for  his  journey. 

"  I  am  all  ready,  Captain.  Good-bye,  Margaret,  I 
will  be  home  to  dinner,"  he  added,  as  he  gave  her  a 
parting  kiss.  "  Mr.  Reed  and  his  family  are  out  on  the 
river.  I  sent  Marmaduke  to  give  them  a  trip  to  the 
end  of  the  island.  Come,  Captain." 

"  Good-bye,  Harman,"  said  his  wife,  as  she  raised 
her  face  for  another  kiss.  Then,  turning  to  Frederic, 
she  said  in  an  undertone :  "  Come  and  see  us  often. 
Now  I  know  your  story  it  is  my  duty  to  show  my  in 
terest  and  friendship." 

Frederic  replied,  "  I  most  assuredly  will.  Good 
bye,  my  dear  Mrs.  Blennerhassett.  Coming,  Mr.  Blen 
nerhassett,"  he  added,  as  he  followed  his  host. 

"  Why,"  said  Blennerhassett,  as  Frederic  reached 
his  side,  "  you  seem  to  be  less  willing  to  leave  Mrs. 
Blennerhassett  than  her  devoted  husband.  I  must  look 
to  this." 

Left  alone,  Mrs.  Blennerhassett  resumed  her  seat  and 
thought  over  the  incidents  of  the  last  half  hour.  "  What 
a  strange  story,"  she  said  to  herself,  "  Captain  Clarke 
told  me.  I  wonder  who  the  man  was.'  Someone  about 
whose  name  there  was  a  halo  of  romance  that  awakened 
the  poor  girl's  sympathetic  feelings  and  made  her  think 
he  was  all  that  was  noble  and  good.  Only  a  girlish 
fancy,  to  be  sure,  but,  with  a  young  girl,  fancy  is  more 
powerful  than  reason.  With  some  of  us  women,  fancy 
is  always  the  stronger." 

Her  soliloquy  was  broken  in  upon  by  the  entrance 
of  Ransome,  who  bowed  to  his  mistress  and  said :  "  A 
gen'leman  and  two  pooty  ladies  and  a  little  boy  have 
been  walking  about  in  the  grounds.  I  saw  them  some 
time  ago,  but  he  didn't  see  me." 

As  Ransome  finished  he  looked  somewhat  apprehen 
sively  towards  his  mistress  as  though  fearing  he  would 


170  BLENNERHASSETT 

be  reproved  for  not  reporting  the  intrusion  sooner. 
His  mistress  asked : 

"  Did  you  ever  see  him  before  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Ransome,  "  but  he  is  a  handsome  gen'le- 
man,  and  the  ladies  are  the  most  beautifullest — " 

"  That  will  do,  Ransome.  Extend  Mrs.  Blenner- 
hassett's  compliments,  and  say  my  husband  is  away 
but  will  soon  return.  Ask  the  gentleman  and  ladies  to 
come  in  and  my  husband  will  show  them  the  beauties 
of  the  island." 

As  Ransome  left  the  room,  he  said,  aside,  "  I  can  say 
the  come  in,  but  I'm  afraid  I  can't  recomember  all 
that,"  and  he  went  out  shaking  his  old  white  head. 
Left  alone  once  more,  she  again  fell  to  soliloquizing. 

"  When  I  married,  I  had  a  fancy  that  Harman  would 
become  a  great  orator,  enter  Parliament — become — 
why  not — a  premier;  but  he  disliked  politics  and  dis 
putation — preferred  study  and  seclusion  to  life  in  Lon 
don,  and  so  we  are  buried  in  the  wilderness,  with 
everything  to  make  life  happy  but  with  not  one  thing 
to  make  it  great." 

Ransome  entered  suddenly,  his  face  indicating  that 
he  had  information  of  the  greatest  importance  to  com 
municate. 

"  The  gen'leman  says,"  he  began,  excitedly,  "  that 
he  was  curious  and  so  he  landed — but  he  can't  stop — 
but  he  sent  his  card,"  and  he  passed  it  to  his  mistress, 
with  a  low  bow. 

Mrs.  Blennerhassett  read  the  card.  "  Aaron  Burr !  " 
she  cried,  "  Aaron  Burr — he  was  Vice-President  of  the 
United  States.  No  man  ever  came  nearer  to  being 
President.  I  must  see  him."  Turning  to  Ransome,  she 
said :  "  Tell  the  gentleman  that  I  must  insist  upon  his 
accepting  the  hospitalities  of  my  house." 

As  Ransome  left  the  room  he  shook  his  head  affirm 
atively  and  soliloquized :  "  I  can  recomember  that.  I 
have  said  that  afore." 


THE  ISLAND  BEAUTIFUL     171 

If  Frederic  could  have  looked  into  the  great  hall  at 
that  moment  he  would  have  thought  that  Mrs.  Blenner- 
hassett  was  the  victim  of  some  great  excitement.  She 
walked  up  and  down  the  room  as  he  had  done.  Hav 
ing  no  listener,  her  over-charged  feelings  sought  vent 
in  words. 

"  How  fortunate,"  she  cried,  "  the  man  of  all  others 
who  can  tell  me  in  what  way  my  husband  can  best  use 
his  knowledge  to  secure  his  advancement  and  for  the 
good  of  his  adopted  country.  My  fancy  survives;  my 
ambition  is  still  strong,  and  if  woman's  wit  can  accom 
plish  it,  my  husband  shall  yet  fill  the  station  in  life  for 
which  his  talents  fit  him."  A  look  of  triumph  showed 
itself  in  her  face  as  she  concluded — "  and  which  his 
wife  would  try  to  adorn." 

When  the  party  had  landed  from  the  boat,  Colonel 
Burr,  with  little  Aaron  in  his  arms,  led  the  way  into 
the  virgin  isle,  closely  followed  by  Theodosia  and  Kate 
who,  school-girl  fashion,  twined  their  arms  about  each 
other  and  seemed  to  enjoy  the  walk  as  though  they  had, 
in  fact,  been  children  just  let  loose  from  school.  Burr 
did  not  actually  lead  the  way,  for  he  had  directed  one 
of  the  boatmen  to  go  ahead  and  with  his  boat-hook 
break  down  the  underbrush  wherever  it  was  likely 
to  interfere  with  the  comfortable  progress  of  the 
ladies. 

Little  Aaron  was  delighted.  He  was  greatly  at 
tached  to  his  grandfather,  and,  like  most  children,  was 
decidedly  fond  of  being  carried  about.  He  laughed 
and  sang,  in  his  infantile  way,  to  the  great  amusement 
and  pleasure  of  the  company. 

While  Burr  was  listening  to  his  grandson's  numerous 
questions,  and  answering  them  to  the  best  of  his  ability, 
he  was  also  constantly  called  upon  by  his  daughter  and 
his  protege  to  explain  this  or  that  object  of  wonder 
ment.  During  it  all,  however,  his  sharp  eye  and  active 
brain  were  both  busy  on  an  entirely  different  problem. 


172  BLENNERHASSETT 

Yes,  among  those  trees  in  that  little  grove  it  would  be 
easy  to  store  away,  out  of  sight,  provisions  for  a  thou 
sand  men ;  that  natural  cave  would  afford  a  fine  place 
of  concealment  for  rifles  and  munitions  of  war.  In 
that  little  glade,  surrounded  by  tall  trees  with  wide- 
spreading  branches,  his  recruits  could  be  drilled  in  the 
art  of  war  without  attracting  attention  from  the  resi 
dents  of  either  Ohio  or  Virginia.  Yes,  this  was  the 
ideal  place  in  which  to  organize,  and  from  which  to 
start  on  his  great  expedition.  His  strategic  eye  had 
discovered  its  availability  and  fitness,  and  his  military 
knowledge  had  confirmed  the  first  impression. 

On  their  return  to  the  boat,  Burr  looked  eagerly  in 
every  direction  to  see  if  any  member  of  the  resident 
family,  or  any  of  the  servants  were  in  sight.  None 
were  visible.  Burr  thought  that  so  large  a  party  might 
appear  formidable,  so  he  decided  to  return  to  the  boat, 
send  his  companions  back  to  the  raft  and  present  his 
respects  in  person.  As  they  neared  the  boat,  he  dis 
covered  that  the  young  colored  boy  was  not  in  it,  but 
that  James  Gray  was  there  instead.  Requesting  his 
companions  to  wait  a  moment,  he  went  to  the  end  of 
the  little  landing  and  asked  Gray  in  a  stern  voice  why 
he  was  there,  and  where  the  negro  boy  was.  Gray  re 
plied  that  the  boy  had  been  taken  sick,  and  with  diffi 
culty  had  rowed  back  to  the  raft.  He  added,  "  Under 
the  circumstances,  I  thought  it  best  for  me  to  come  back 
with  the  boat." 

"  It  was  very  kind  of  you,"  said  Burr,  dryly.  "  Now 
that  you  are  in  the  boat  I  wish  you  to  stay  there  and 
not  to  leave  it  without  my  knowledge." 

As  he  said  this,  he  gave  the  man  a  glance  from  his 
black  eyes  that  pierced  him  like  the  stab  from  a  knife. 

When  Burr  returned  from  the  landing,  to  meet  his 
companions,  he  saw  an  old  colored  man  bowing  to  them 
and  expressing  what  they  understood  to  be  an  invita 
tion  to  visit  the  mansion. 


THE  ISLAND  BEAUTIFUL     173 

"Are  you  one  of  Mr.  Blennerhassett's  servants?" 
asked  Burr,  in  his  most  courteous  manner. 

"  Yes,  sah,"  replied  Ransome,  making  a  low  bow. 

"  We  are  trespassers  upon  your  beautiful  island," 
said  Burr;  "I  had  intended  to  ask  permission  for  our 
little  party  to  examine  its  beauties,  but  met  no  one  to 
whom  I  could  address  such  an  appeal.  I  was  on  my 
way  to  the  house  to  offer  my  apologies.  Will  you 
kindly  bear  them  for  me?  Our  time  is  limited,  but  if 
you  will  present  this  card  to  your  master,  he  will  know 
who  I  am."  Ransome  took  the  card  and  returned  with 
the  greatest  possible  speed  to  the  house.  Turning  to 
Theodosia,  Burr  said :  "  They  either  will,  or  will  not 
receive  us.  If  they  do,"  and  he  smiled  as  he  said  it, 
"  I  hope  I  shall  make  a  pleasant  and  profitable  acquaint 
ance." 

"  I  hope,"  said  Kate,  "  that  the  lord  of  this  manor 
will  prove  to  be  your  Prince  Foriunatus,  and  that  you 
will  win  wealth  and  fame  together." 

"  So  do  I,"  said  Theodosia,  "  the  River  of  Fate  can 
not  run  always  in  a  straight  line;  there  must  be  some 
bend  or  turn  which,  taken  at  the  right  time,  will  lead  to 
success." 

At  this  moment,  Ransome  reappeared  from  the  house, 
Burr  offered  an  arm  to  each  of  his  companions  and 
made  a  movement  as  though  he  intended  to  return  to 
the  boat.  Ransome  called  after  them :  "  Sah !  Sah ! ! 
Please  wait  a  moment,  sah !  " 

The  party  turned  and  Ransome  soon  reached  them, 
his  face  glowing  with  pleasurable  excitement.  "  Sah, 
Massa  is  away,  but  Missus  presents  her  compliments 
and  insists  that  you  accept  her  hospitality."  This  was  a 
long  speech,  but  Ransome  had  repeated  it  so  frequently 
in  the  past  that  he  had  become  quite  proficient  in  its 
delivery.  Repressing  an  exhibition  of  any  personal 
satisfaction  of  the  invitation,  Burr  turned  to  his  com 
panions  and  asked  them  if  they  would  like  to  accept 


174  BLENNERHASSETT 

Mrs.  Blennerhassett's  invitation.  They  signified  their 
willingness,  and  the  party  walked  slowly  towards  the 
house,  Ransome  leading  the  way  with  all  the  pomp  of 
a  major  domo. 

During  the  time  occupied  by  Ransome  in  making  his 
final  trip,  Mrs.  Blennerhassett  had  an  opportunity  to 
inspect  herself  in  a  mirror  and  see  if  her  head-dress  was 
properly  and  becomingly  arranged;  then,  taking  a 
position  at  a  respectable  distance  from  the  door,  she 
anxiously  awaited  the  advent  of  her  guests.  Ransome 
threw  the  door  open  and  the  party  entered,  Burr  lead 
ing  the  way.  As  he  took  Mrs.  Blennerhassett's  hand, 
outstretched  in  welcome,  she  said:  "  Welcome  to  Blen 
nerhassett  Island.  We  are  honored  by  this  visit." 

Burr  bowed  low  over  the  speaker's  hand  and  touched 
it  lightly  with  his  lips.  As  he  raised  his  head  he  said, 
fixing  his  eyes  upon  her  beautiful  face,  "  You  flatter 
us,  it  is  we  who  are  honored  by  being  received  as  your 
guests."  Mrs.  Blennerhassett  smiled  and  said  in  reply : 

"  Pardon  the  importunity  of  my  invitation,  Mr.  Burr, 
but  we  have  so  few  visitors  from  the  East — "  Burr 
interrupted  her  with  a  graceful  wave  of  his  hand. 

"  Madam,  pardon  for  our  intrusion  rather  than  for 
your  hospitality.  As  in  the  fairy  books,  we  have  found 
that  those  who  land  upon  the  enchanted  isle  must  enter 
the  bower  of  beauty  and  pay  homage  to  the  princess. 
Allow  me,  madam,  to  present  my  only  child,  my  daugh 
ter,  Theodosia."  The  ladies  shook  hands.  Burr  turn 
ing,  saw  Kate.  "  Ah !  I  have  been  unjust,  and  untrue, 
for  here  is  my  other  child — my  adopted  daughter, 
Kate."  Kate  advanced  and  the  handshaking  ceremony 
was  repeated. 

Suddenly,  Mrs.  Blennerhassett  cried  out :  "  But,  Col 
onel  Burr,  you  have  not  completed  your  introductions. 
To  whom  does  this  beautiful  little  boy  belong?"  As 
she  said  this  she  rushed  forward,  and  grasping  little 
Aaron,  lifted  him  from  the  floor,  pressed  him  to  her 


THE  ISLAND  BEAUTIFUL     175 

bosom,  and  kissed  him  again  and  again.  Little  Aaron, 
though  somewhat  astonished  by  the  warmth  of  her  em 
brace,  was  too1  much  of  a  Burr  to  lose  his  self-posses 
sion,  so  he  inquired :  "  Have  you  got  a  little  boy  ?  " 

"  Yes,  thank  Heaven,"  cried  Mrs.  Blennerhassett, 
"  not  only  one,  but  three  of  them.  They  are  up-stairs 
in  the  nursery,  but  you  shall  go  with  me  in  a  little 
while  and  see  them."  As  she  said  this,  she  placed  the 
child  upon  the  floor  and  he  ran  at  once  to  his  mother's 
side. 

Ransome  had  stood  near  the  door,  evidently  antici 
pating  some  order  from  his  mistress.  He  was  not  dis 
appointed.  Mrs.  Blennerhassett  motioned  to  her  guests 
and  said :  "  Pray  be  seated.  Ransome,  have  three 
extra  plates  laid  for  dinner." 

Burr  and  his  companions  had  seated  themselves,  as 
requested,  but  when  he  heard  the  direction  given  to 
Ransome  he  arose,  and,  bowing  politely,  said: 

"  But,  Madam,  we  cannot  intrude  in  so  bold  a  way 
upon  your  privacy." 

Mrs.  Blennerhassett  assumed  a  bantering  way: 
"  You  are  in  the  bower  of  the  princess,  sir,  and  the 
fairy  books  say  that  none  could  leave  it  without  her 
permission,  unless  they  killed  the  dragon  that  guarded 
the  entrance.  Go,  Ransome." 

Burr,  quick  to  catch  the  spirit  of  the  occasion,  re 
plied  :  "  Believe  me,  Madam,  I  would  rather  fight  the 
dragon  than — " 

Mrs.  Blennerhassett  interrupted  him  with  a  laugh: 
"Remain?" 

Once  more  Burr  fixed  his  beautiful  eyes  upon  the 
equally  beautiful  ones  of  his  hostess.  Once  more  he 
bowed  low  and  said  in  those  dulcet  tones  that  had 
charmed  so  many  women  and  were  destined  to  charm 
so  many  more:  "no — than  disobey  your  slightest 
wish." 

The  ladies  had  removed  their  outer  garments  and 


176  BLENNERHASSETT 

Burr,  with  all  the  grace  of  a  courtier,  took  them  from 
them.  Mrs.  Blennerhassett  advanced  to  receive  them. 
As  she  walked  across  the  room  to  place  them  upon  an 
old-fashioned,  but  beautifully  carved  table,  she  said  to 
herself :  "  He  is  such  a  man  as  that  girl  of  Clarke's 
might  have  worshipped."  Returning  to  join  the  com 
pany  she  inquired:  "  Did  you  enjoy  your  trip  down  the 
river,  Mrs. — " 

"  Pardon  me,  Madam,"  said  Burr,  "  you  have  already 
divined,  of  course,  that  my  daughter  is  married.  It  is 
my  fault  that  I  did  not  introduce  her  by  her  proper 
name.  Mrs.  Theodosia  Burr  Alston,  wife  of  Mr. 
Joseph  Alston  of  South  Carolina."  Turning  to  Theo 
dosia,  Burr  said  gayly :  "  What  would  your  husband 
say  if  he  knew  that  I  had  appropriated  you  entirely  to 
myself?" 

Mrs.  Blennerhassett  looked  at  Kate :  "  And  is  this 
other  young  lady — " 

Burr  answered  playfully :  "  No,  she  is  Miss  Emble- 
ton,  with  no  end  of  suitors,  but  with  a  heart  fondly 
clinging — " 

Kate  laughingly  repelled  the  insinuation.  "  Mr. 
Burr,  you  are  wrong;  you  know  you  are."  As  Kate 
spoke  she  arose,  and,  although  her  motive  was  not 
suspected  by  her  companions,  she  turned  away  to  con 
ceal  some  unbidden  tears,  for,  like  a  flash,  a  picture  of 
her  last  meeting  with  Frederic  had  passed  before  her 
eyes.  Theodosia  now  arose  and  walked  towards  her 
friend. 

"  No,  Kate,"  said  she,  "  you  are  wrong.  You  are 
fond  of  clinging — to  me,"  as  she  said  this  she  caught 
the  young  girl  in  her  arms,  they  turned,  and  Theodosia 
continued — "  and  to  father." 

Burr  advanced  towards  them,  extending  an  arm  to 
each.  The  arm  was  taken.  He  made  a  short  detour 
which  brought  them  face  to  face  with  Mrs.  Blenner 
hassett. 


THE  ISLAND  BEAUTIFUL     177 

"  Am  I  not  a  father  to  be  envied,  Mrs.  Blenner- 
hassett,  with  two  such  daughters  ?  " 

"  But,"  said  Kate,  "  if  I  should  marry  some  young 
gentleman  whom  you  did  not  fancy,  you  would  disown 
me  and  give  all  your  love  to  Theodosia  and  Gamp." 

"  Pardon  my  curiosity,"  said  Mrs.  Blennerhassett, 
"  but  who  is  Gamp  ?  Another  young  lady  ?  " 

"  No,"  replied  Theodosia,  "  Gamp  is  this  little  boy, 
my  only  son.  Father  gave  him  the  nickname  and  calls 
him  by  no  other." 

Burr  turned  to  Mrs.  Blennerhassett :  "  His  infant 
lips  first  spoke  the  word  Gampy  to  his  grandfather. 
I  turned  that  into  Gampillo  or  Gamp,  and,  being  a 
word  made  precious  by  association,  I  prefer  it  to  his 
full  name  of  Aaron  Burr  Alston."  Then  turning  to 
Kate,  he  said,  gravely :  "  But,  Miss  Embleton,  let  me 
not  forget  to  say  I  shall  never  disown  you,  for  you  have 
given  me  the  best  of  reasons  for  believing  you  will 
never  marry  a  man  whom  I  cannot  respect." 

Theodosia  said,  with  a  smile :  "  I  think  you  can 
trust  her,  father." 

"  You  know  you  can,"  cried  Kate  energetically. 

"  I  know  I  do,"  replied  Burr,  decidedly.  "  My  pro 
teges  never  desert  or  disappoint  me."  Throwing  a 
glance  to  his  daughter,  he  said :  "  I  heard  good  news 
from  Vanderlyn  the  other  day,  he  whom  I  rightly 
named  the  Genius  of  the  Roadside." 

Mrs.  Blennerhassett  looked  interested  and  remarked : 
"  There  must  be  a  romance  connected  with  that  poetic 
name,  the  Genius  of  the  Roadside;  I  am  a  lover  of  the 
romantic — " 

"  I  will  tell  you  the  story,  madam,  with  pleasure, 
but  as  I  am  a  personage  in  it,  kindly  free  me  from  the 
charge  of  intentional  egotism." 

Mrs.  Blennerhassett  bowed  politely :  "  Certainly,  Mr. 
Burr,  and  pray  do  not  detract  from  your  own  due  for 
fear  of  being  so  misjudged." 


i/8  BLENNERHASSETT 

Burr  responded  to  her  very  courteous  remark  by  a 
polite  bow.  "  The  story  is  this :  Some  years  ago,  I 
was  called  to  Albany  on  business.  On  my  way,  a 
wheel-tire  needed  repairs  and  I  stopped  at  a  blacksmith's 
shop  for  the  purpose.  While  waiting,  I  walked  around 
the  outside  of  the  smithy  where  my  attention  was  at 
tracted  by  a  sketch  in  chalk  upon  a  barn  door.  It  was 
capitally  done  and  I  turned  towards  the  smithy  to  ask 
the  blacksmith  the  name  of  the  artist,  when  I  saw  a 
small  boy  regarding  me  with  anxious  eyes.  'Who  drew 
that  picture  ? '  said  I.  '  I  did,'  replied  the  boy,  to  my 
astonishment.  I  found  he  was  an  orphan  and  was 
working  for  a  farmer  in  the  town.  I  gave  him  my 
card  and  told  him  when  he  was  ready  to  begin  the 
battle  of  life  to  come  to  my  house  in  New  York.  In 
less  than  six  months,  the  Genius  of  the  Roadside  pre 
sented  himself  at  my  door.  I  sent  him  to  Paris  to 
study  art,  and  his  last  letter  says  he  is  on  the  road  to 
fame  and  fortune." 

Mrs.  Blennerhassett  remarked,  approvingly :  "  How 
happy  that  pleasing  news  must  make  you." 

"  It  does,"  replied  Burr,  "  I  know  of  nothing  that 
gives  greater  joy  than  to  encourage  and  aid  those  who 
are  poor,  but  talented  and  ambitious.  The  greatest 
pleasure  I  have  ever  known  was  found  in  directing  my 
daughter's  studies." 

"  Yes,"  said  Theodosia,  "  and  such  terrible  scold 
ings  as  you  used  to  give  me  about  my  handwriting  and 
my  grammar." 

'  Yes,"  interjected  Kate,  "  my  lectures  came  in  let 
ters.  They  all  began  with  a  good  scolding,  had  a  lec 
ture  in  the  middle,  and  ended  with  words  so  kind  that, 
like  sweets  after  a  nauseous  medicine,  the  disagreeable 
flavor  was  all  taken  away." 

It  occurred  to  Burr  that  they  had  devoted  consider 
able  time  to  purely  personal  matters.  He  was  afraid 


THE  ISLAND  BEAUTIFUL     179 

that  perhaps  this  kind  of  conversation  had  been  carried 
to  an  obtrusive  extent,  so  he  remarked : 

"  My  dear  young  ladies,  we  have  been  very  thought 
less  to  take  so  much  time  to  talk  about  ourselves,  to  the 
disregard,  and,  no  doubt,  discomfort  of  our  hostess." 
Turning  to  Mrs.  Blennerhassett,  he  inquired  with  an 
apparent  air  of  great  interest :  "  Is  your  husband  a 
native  of  New  England  or  Maryland,  Mrs.  Blenner 
hassett?" 

"  Neither,  sir,"  s'he  replied.  "  He  was  born  in 
Hampshire,  England.  His  father  was  an  Irish  gentle 
man,  but  his  parents  were  visiting  in  England." 

Burr  made  another  inquiry :  "  Was  he  in  the  Eng 
lish  army?  " 

"  No,"  she  replied,  "  his  inclination  has  always  been 
to  literature  and  science.  He  went  to  school  at  West 
minster,  but  graduated  at  Trinity  College,  Dublin." 

Burr  was  persistent  in  his  questioning :  "  Did  he 
practise  law  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  she  answered,  "  and  was  made  Doctor  of 
Laws  in  1790.  The  troubles  in  his  native  land  led 
him  to  sell  his  estates  to  Baron  Ventry,  and  he  after 
wards  came  to  England,  where  we  met." 

"  Like  a  true  knight  errant,"  said  Burr,  resuming  his 
playful  manner,  "  he  went  in  search  of  his  lady  love 
and  found  her." 

"  Hardly  that,"  said  Mrs.  Blennerhassett,  with  a 
laugh,  "  for  he  had  a  sister  in  England,  the  wife  of 
Admiral  de  Courcy." 

"  He  that  was  Lord  Kinsale?  "  Burr  asked,  quickly. 

"  Yes,"  she  replied,  "  I  am  English,  and  yet  our 
people  pride  themselves  on  their  independence.  My 
father  was  Lieutenant-Governor  of  the  Isle  of  Man. 
My  grandfather  was  General  Agnew  " — 

Burr,  who  had  been  listening  intently,  broke  in: 
"  Who  fell  at  Germantown  ?  " 


i8o  BLENNERHASSETT 

"  Yes,  sir,  did  you  ever  see  him  ?  " 

Burr  drew  himself  up  proudly.  "  Neither  your 
grandfather  nor  myself  were  taken  prisoners  during 
the  Revolution,  and  we  never  met.  But  I  have  heard 
that  he  was  a  brave  man  and  died  like  a  true  British 
soldier,  hating  all  rebels  and  loving  his  king." 

Mrs.  Blennerhassett  continued  her  story :  "  We  re 
moved  to  New  York  in  1797.  My  husband  traveled 
through  the  States  in  search  of  ,a  place  in  which  to 
make  our  home.  He  bought  the  upper  part  of  this 
island  and  we  settled  here  in  1798,  moving,  at  first, 
into  a  blockhouse." 

"  And  in  seven  years  only,"  cried  Theodosia,  "  you 
have  made  this  wilderness  blossom  like  a  rose — " 

"  And  built  this  beautiful  mansion,"  said  Kate. 

Burr  added :  "  Which,  in  its  design  and  execu 
tion,  shows  the  possession  of  exquisite  taste  by  its 
owners." 

Mrs.  Blennerhassett  was  pleased  with  the  deftly 
worded  inquiries  and  remarks  which  enabled  her  to 
give  some  particulars  of  her  past  life,  and  that  of  her 
husband,  without  seeming  to  obtrude  them  upon  her 
guests. 

"  Yes,  my  husband's  property  enabled  us  to  gratify 
our  tastes.  Living  away  from  the  busy  world,  this 
island  becomes  our  world,  and  you  can  imagine  my 
husband  and  myself  are  never  happier  than  when  kind 
fortune  sends  some  guest  to  our  door  who  can  tell  us 
what  is  going  on  in  the  States,  and  dear  old  England." 
Approaching  footsteps  and  a  voice  were  heard  out 
side.  "  My  husband  has  returned,"  she  cried. 

As  Blennerhassett  entered  the  room,  she  arose  to 
meet  him.  He  was  so  nearsighted  that  he  did  not  notice 
the  presence  of  the  guests  who  were  seated  some  dis 
tance  from  the  door. 

"  It's  all  right,  Margaret."  he  cried,  cheerfully, 
"  William  escaped  without  a  lash.  Parker  was  indig- 


nant,  but  I  couldn't  identify  the  candles  could  I,  my 
dear,  and  so — " 

But,  at  this  point,  Mrs.  Blennerhassett  thought  that 
his  explanation  had  proceeded  far  enough.  She 
grasped  her  husband's  arm  and  said  in  a  low  tone  to 
him,  "  But  Harman,  we  have  guests.  Let  me  present 
you."  She  advanced  with  her  husband  towards  the 
little  party  who  arose  as  they  approached.  "  Mr.  Burr, 
allow  me  to  introduce  my  husband." 

Colonel  Burr  advanced  with  extended  hand.  "  I  am 
delighted,"  said  he,  "  to  make  Mr.  Blennerhassett's 
acquaintance." 

Blennerhassett  drew  back,  a  look  of  uncertainty  upon 
his  face.  "Burr!"  he  exclaimed.  "What  Burr? 
Not  Aaron  Burr !  " 

Burr  bowed  low,  and  said  in  dignified,  measured 
tones,  "  Colonel  Aaron  Burr,  at  your  service." 

Blennerhassett  looked  disturbed.  The  thought  ran 
through  his  mind,  "  The  man  who  killed  Hamilton — " 
then,  realizing  that  ordinary  politeness  required  that 
he  should  speak,  he  said: 

"  You  are  welcome,  sir,  to  the  hospitalities — " 

Mrs.  Blennerhassett  remarked,  apologetically,  to 
Burr,  "  My  husband  is  very  nearsighted.  Harman," 
she  said,  ad  ressing  her  husband :  "  Colonel  Burr  is 
waiting  to  shake  hands  with  you." 

Blennerhassett  drew  himself  up  and  said  with  hau 
teur,  "  I  regret  it,  sir,  but  I  cannot  give  my  hand  to 
the  murderer  of  General  Hamilton."  A  look  of  aston 
ishment  showed  itself  in  Mrs.  Blennerhassett's  face. 
"  Remember,  Harman,"  she  cried,  "  he  is  your  guest, 
and  that  his  daughters  are  present." 

Burr  comprehended  the  situation.  It  had  ever  been 
thus;  always  prejudged  before  he  had  an  opportunity 
to  speak  a  word  in  his  own  defence,  presuming  that 
he  had  been  disposed  to  speak  that  word.  But  he 
regretted  the  situation  in  which  Mrs.  Blennerhassett 


1 82  BLENNERHASSETT 

had  been  placed  by  her  husband's  untoward  remark, 
and,  like  a  true  gentleman,  he  hastened  to  rescue  her 
from  her  dilemma.  He  turned  to  her: 

"  Madam,  do  not  fear.  I  shall  not  transcend  the 
bounds  of  hospitality."  Addressing  Blennerhassett,  he 
said:  "  Sir,  my  friend  Hamilton,  whom  I  shot,  would 
not  have  used  so  harsh  a  term  as  murderer." 

Here  Blennerhassett,  who  had  evidently  based  his 
opinion  upon  Mr.  Ashelyn's  remarks  concerning  the 
duel,  cried,  "  But  he  was  at  your  mercy !  " 

Burr  replied  in  a  spirited  manner :  "  He  was  the 
aggressor  and  met  the  fate  that  any  man  invites  when 
he  slanders  a  gentleman  and  then  refuses  reparation. 
Slander  has  slain  more  than  the  sword." 

Blennerhassett  was  not  convinced.  "  Duelling  is 
not  an  attribute  of  a  gentleman  or  a  hero.  The  pol 
ished  Greek  knew  nothing  of  it.  The  noble  Roman 
was  above  it.  Rome  held  in  equal  detestation  the  man 
who  exposed  his  life  unnecessarily,  and  he  who  refused 
to  expose  it  when  the  public  good  required  it.  Her 
heroes  were  superior  to  private  contests ;  they  indulged 
in  no  vengeance  except  against  the  enemies  of  their 
country." 

Mrs.  Blennerhassett  was  almost  overcome  by  her 
emotions.  She  knew  the  firmness  of  her  husband's 
character  when  his  sentiments  were  strongly  aroused. 
She  divined  that  her  guest  was  equally  set  in  his  opin 
ions.  A  collision  of  highly  wrought  and  excited  tem 
pers  seemed  imminent.  She  ran  to  her  husband  and 
grasped  him  by  the  arm,  while  Theodosia  and  Kate  took 
their  posts  on  either  side  of  Burr.  Little  Aaron  had 
wandered  off  to  the  other  end  of  the  room,  evidently 
much  interested  and  amused  by  the  pretty  pictures  that 
he  had  found  in  a  book  which  he  had  taken  from  the 
table  without  permission. 

On  his  part,  Burr  felt  that  unless  his  visit  was  to 
come  to  an  untimely  conclusion,  and  all  the  visions  that 


THE  ISLAND  BEAUTIFUL     183 

he  had  formed  of  Prince  Fortunatus  were  to  vanish  in 
thin  air,  he  must,  in  some  way,  explain  to  the  master 
of  the  house  the  event  which,  it  was  evident,  he  so 
thoroughly  misunderstood. 

"  Ladies,"  Burr  began,  "  you  will  bear  me  witness 
that  this  unhappy  discussion  is  not  of  my  choosing, 
and  I  trust  will  forgive  me  if  I  live  over  again  that  sad 
affair  by  recalling  some  particulars  that  must  be  un 
known  to  Mr.  Blennerhassett."  Turning  to  Mr. 
Blennerhassett  he  asked,  in  ringing  tones :  "  Sir,  sup 
pose  a  mean  and  cowardly  individual  should  slander 
you  and  not  stand  up  to  it  when  cornered?  Suppose 
you  should  forbear  and  forbear,  forgive  and  forgive; 
yes,  even  stoop  to  remonstrate?  If  you  had  no  choice 
except  to  slink  out  of  sight,  a  wretch  degraded  and  de 
spised,  or  meet  the  calumniator  on  the  field  and  silence 
him,  what  would  you  do?  You  are  an  Irish  gentleman 
and  I  can  answer  for  you.  You  would  meet  him,  as 
I  did !  Supposing  when  you  stood  up  to  fire  he  caught 
your  eye  and  quailed  under  it  like  a  convicted  felon? 
You  would  kill  him,  as  I  did !  Supposing  you  should 
find  his  last  will  and  testament  to  read  like  the  con 
fessions  of  a  penitent  monk;  you  would  despise  him, 
as  I  do!" 

Blennerhassett  thought  for  a  moment.  His  wife 
looked  into  his  face,  anxiously.  At  last,  she  saw  those 
signs  which,  to  her  practised  eye,  indicated  that  the 
severity  of  his  former  judgment  was  to  be  relaxed. 
Turning  to  Burr,  he  said: 

"  Had  you  never  braved  death  but  in  a  duel,  your 
words  would  have  no  effect  upon  me,  but  you  both  did 
your  duty  in  the  army  of  your  country,  and  I  had  for 
gotten,  we  are  not  Greeks  or  Romans,  but  the  slaves 
of  cruel  modern  customs.  Sir,  there  is  my  hand.  Wel 
come  to  Blennerhassett  Island !  " 


CHAPTER  XVII 

THE  SONG  OF  THE  DRUM 

BURR  had  carried  his  point.  He  and  his  party 
had  received  a  cordial  welcome  from  both  the 
Prince  and  the  Princess,  and,  although  he  did 
not  express  his  intention  to  his  companions,  his  mind 
was  made  up  to  remain  upon  the  island  until  he  had  se 
cured  every  possible  advantage  from  the  new  acquaint 
ance  that  he  had  made.  He  was  not  sorry,  all  things 
considered,  that  there  had  been  a  misunderstanding  and 
some  explanations  had  become  necessary.  The  result 
had  been  that  he  was  now  on  a  much  better  footing 
with  his  host  and  hostess  than  he  would  have  been  had 
the  visit  been  but  a  casual  call  with  no  attendant  excit 
ing  circumstances.  The  incidents  which  had  tran 
spired  had  broken  the  ice  and  had  opened  several  ave 
nues  through  which  he  could  present  his  schemes  to 
his  entertainers. 

The  dinner  was  very  enjoyable.  In  addition  to  Col 
onel  Burr's  party,  there  were  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Reed  and 
their  daughter.  No  reference  was  made  during  the 
repast  to  the  business  relations  between  Mr.  Blenner- 
hassett  and  Mr.  Reed,  but  the  pleased  expression  on  the 
latter  gentleman's  face,  and  the  looks  of  contentment 
upon  those  of  his  wife  and  daughter,  indicated  that  Mr. 
Blennerhassett's  kind  treatment  of  them  in  their  finan 
cial  difficulties  was  greatly  appreciated. 

After  dinner,  Burr  walked  down  to  the  little  boat- 
landing.  The  boat  was  there  and  James  Gray  was  its 
sole  occupant.  Burr  entered  the  boat  and  signified  his 

184 


THE  SONG  OF  THE  DRUM    185 

desire  to  be  rowed  back  to  the  raft.  There  he  obtained 
the  trunk  containing  his  personal  wearing  apparel,  and, 
also,  those  belonging  to  his  daughter  and  Kate.  These 
were  placed  in  the  boat.  Then  Burr  called  the  hands 
together  and  informed  them  that  he  would  probably 
stay  for  a  week  or  ten  days  at  Blennerhassett  Island. 
He  had  decided  to  retain  Tom  Walters,  one  of  the 
boatmen,  and  Bob,  the  negro  boy.  He  paid  Gray  and 
the  other  boatman  for  their  services  and  told  them  that 
he  had  no  further  employment  for  them.  Then  Wal 
ters  rowed  him  and  the  baggage  back  to  the  island.  He 
then  returned  to  the  raft,  Burr  informing  him  that  he 
would  signal  him  if  he  wished  the  boat  at  any  time. 

The  evening  of  the  first  day  was  passed  very  pleas 
antly  in  Mr.  Blennerhassett's  library.  The  walls  were 
covered  with  bookcases,  upon  the  shelves  of  which  but 
few  vacant  spaces  eould  be  found,  for  his  library  was 
extensive,  consisting  mainly  of  valuable  scientific 
works.  A  door  opened  from  the  library  into  the  labora 
tory  in  which  he  carried  on  his  scientific  experiments — 
which,  unfortunately,  had  been  experimental  only  for 
they  had  resulted  in  no  new  and  valuable  discoveries. 
Burr  felt  equally  as  well  at  home  in  a  library  as  he  did 
upon  the  battle-field.  On  the  latter,  he  commanded 
men;  in  the  former,  he  commanded  authorities,  and 
marshalled  them  in  line  as  though  they  had  been  in 
fantry,  cavalry,  and  artillery.  On  this  first  evening, 
he  deftly  introduced  the  subject  which  was  uppermost 
in  his  mind.  He  took  occasion,  however,  to  employ 
only  his  literary  infantry,  for  the  time  had  not  come 
to  open  fire  with  his  literary  artillery,  or  to  have  his 
literary  cavalry  make  the  final  charge. 

The  wearied  party  soon  retired  so  as  to  arise  at  an 
early  hour,  and  the  first  day  of  w4iaT"wa§  to  become  a 
most  memorable  epoch  in  American  history  had  passed. 

The  next  day,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Blennerhassett  devoted 
themselves  exclusively  to  the  enter-tarnment  of  their 


1 86  BLENNERHASSETT 

guests.  There  was  a  boating  trip  upon  the  river,  in 
the  course  of  which  Mrs.  Blennerhassett  pointed  out 
many  natural  beauties  which  would  ordinarily  have 
escaped  the  eye  of  a  casual  observer.  Then  there  was 
another  quiet  journey  into  the  uncleared  portion  of  the 
island. 

Towards  evening,  the  sky  became  overcast  and  dark 
clouds  shrouded  both  moon  and  stars  from  sight. 
After  supper,  Ransome  sought  his  master,  bearing  a 
request  from  the  other  servants  that  they  might  be  al 
lowed  to  take  the  big  boat  and  go  fishing  by  torch-light 
The  request  was  overheard  by  Burr,  and  when  Mrs. 
Blennerhassett  asked  him  if  he  would  like  to  accom 
pany  the  party  he  gladly  consented.  Then  Kate  asked 
if  she  might  be  allowed  to  go,  but  as  there  were  to  be 
no  other  ladies  in  the  party,  Burr  convinced  her  that 
her  request  was  inappropriate,  and  induced  her  to  with 
draw  it. 

The  party  set  off,  many  of  the  number  holding  aloft 
huge,  flaring  torches  which  emitted  not  only  light,  but 
a  great  quantity  of  pungent  smoke.  Mrs.  Blenner 
hassett,  Theodosia,  and  Kate  watched  the  party  from 
the  little  boat-landing.  When  a  good  catch  was  made, 
the  cries  of  the  pleased  fishermen  were  borne  across 
the  water,  the  little  party  of  listeners  entering  into  their 
enjoyment.  Finally,  the  zest  of  the  fishermen  was  sat 
isfied  and  they  started  on  their  homeward  trip.  When 
they  had  progressed  a  short  distance,  one  of  the  negro 
boatmen  struck  up  in  a  loud,  resonant  voice  the  well- 
known  patriotic  air  called  "  The  Song  of  the  Drum." 

Burr  sat  in  the  stern  of  the  boat,  the  light  of  the 
torches  falling  upon  his  face.  As  he  heard  the  well- 
known  words  "  'Twas  in  the  merry  month  of  May," 
the  boat,  its  occupants,  the  flaring  torches,  and  the 
darkly-flowing  river  vanished  from  his  view  and  he 
saw  another  sight.  His  mind  went  back  to  the  even 
ing  of  the  Fourth  of  July,  1804,  just  one  week  previous 


THE  SONG  OF  THE  DRUM    187 

to  the  meeting-  on  the  field  at  Weehawken  Heights. 
The  occasion  was  the  annual  dinner  of  the  New  York 
branch  of  the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati,  of  which 
Alexander  Hamilton  was  president.  Burr  was  a  mem 
ber,  but  he  took  no  active  part  in  the  festivities.  He 
sat  with  his  eyes  fixed  upon  the  man  who,  in  one  short 
week,  he  was  to  meet  upon  the  field  of  honor. 

As  the  fact  of  the  forth-coming  duel  was  known  to 
but  few  persons,  the  real  cause  of  Hamilton's  ap 
parent  lack  of  interest  in  the  proceedings  could  not  have 
been  divined  by  those  present.  He  was  usually  the 
life  of  such  gatherings,  entering  into  them,  even  at  his 
age,  with  all  the  enthusiasm  and  vivacity  of  a  young 
man.  When  requested  to  sing  a  song,  he  refused. 
When  the  request  was  again  preferred,  he  refused  for 
the  second  time,  but,  in  response  to  the  universal  de 
mand  that  he  should  sing  one  song  at  least,  he  finally 
said,  "  Well,  if  you  must  have  it,  I  will.  You  know  I 
can  only  sing  one  song  anyway."  Then  he  sang  "  The 
Song  of  the  Drum,"  but  it  was  noticed  by  many,  who 
afterwards  referred  to  it,  that  it  was  not  given  with  the 
dash  and  spirit  that  he  had  shown  on  former  occasions. 

While  this  was  passing  through  Burr's  mind  the  boat 
hacf  reached  the  landing.  Burr  joined  the  little  party 
and  they  walked  towards  the  house,  while  the  fisher 
men  took  their  catch  to  the  storehouse  in  which  meat, 
fish,  vegetables,  and  other  food  supplies  for  the  great 
house  were  kept. 

As  they  walked  slowly  along,  Kate  remarked :  "  The 
song  sung  by  the  boatmen  was  really  enchanting  as 
the  melody  came  floating  over  the  water." 

"  Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Blennerhassett,  "  I  like  that  song 
and  I  don't  like  it.  I  like  it  because  it  is  patriotic  and 
because  the  melody  is  simple  but  sweet." 

"What  is  your  reason  for  disliking  it?"  inquired 
Burr. 

"  Because,"   remarked    Mrs.    Blennerhassett,   "  our 


1 88  BLENNERHASSETT 

boys  have  been  able  to  learn  the  words  of  two  stanzas 
only,  and  they  have  sung  them  over  and  over  so  many 
times  that  I  have  really  become  tired  of  them.  I  have 
written  some  poetry  myself,  but  I  find  it  impossible  to 
write  anything  to  match  the  ones  they  have." 

"  I  am  no  singer,"  Burr  remarked,  "  but  I  have  heard 
the  song  a  great  many  times.  I  have  a  fairly  good  mem 
ory,  and  if  I  can  recall  the  words  of  some  of  the  other 
stanzas  I  shall  be  pleased  to  give  you  a  copy  of  them." 

"  You  may  be  sure,"  said  Mrs.  Blennerhassett,  "  that 
I  shall  be  greatly  pleased  to  receive  them,  and  that 
pleasure  will  be  shared  by  our  boys." 

The  next  morning,  when  they  gathered  at  the  break 
fast  table,  Burr  laid  a  folded  sheet  of  paper  beside  his 
plate  as  he  took  his  seat.  The  fact  was  that  every 
word  in  "  The  Song  of  the  Drum  "  had  been  indelibly 
engraved  upon  his  memory  while  he  sat  that  night 
with  his  eyes  fixed  upon  the  man  who  had  been  his  foe 
for  thirty  years,  so  he  had  little  difficulty  in  writing  out 
the  words  of  the  song  after  he  had  retired  to  his  room. 
When  the  morning  meal  was  over,  he  passed  the  writ 
ten  sheet  to  Mrs.  Blennerhassett,  remarking  that  it 
contained,  as  nearly  as  he  could  remember,  the  missing 
stanzas  of  the  song.  • 

"  Oh !  please  read  it  to  us,  Mrs.  Blennerhassett,"  cried 
Kate,  and  her  request  was  echoed  by  Burr  and  his 
daughter.  They  had  heard  that  their  hostess  possessed 
marked  elocutionary  ability  and  this  seemed  to  offer  a 
favorable  opportunity  for  the  display  of  her  powers. 

Mrs.  Blennerhassett  consented  graciously,  and  de 
livered  with  great  fervor  and  dramatic  expression  the 
words  of  the  song: 

I 

"  'Twas  in  the  merry  mon'ih  of  May, 

When  bees  from  flower  to  flower  did  hum, 
Soldiers  through  the  town  marched  gay, 
The  village  flew  to  the  scund  cf  the  drum. 


THE  SONG  OF  THE  DRUM    189 

From  windows  lasses  looked  a  score, 
Neighbors  met  at  every  door; 
Sergeant  twirled  his  sash  so  gory, 
And  talked  of  honor,  wounds,  and  glory." 

II 

The  sergeant  stroked  his  moustachios, 

On  a  farmer's  door  gave  ringing  blows, 
And  said,  "  My  boy,  the  time  has  come 

To  shoulder  your  musket  and  follow  the  drum." 
Then  father  and  the  grandfather,  too, 
The  hammer  and  sledge  on  the  anvil  threw; 
And  three  recruits  from  that  house  did  ccme 
For  they'd  all  decided  to  follow  the  drum. 

Ill 

The  cobbler  bald  was  soling  a  shoe, 

The  waxen  thread  was  pulling  through; 
The  sergeant  entered  and  took  a  seat, 

And  with  these  words  did  the  cobbler  greet : 
'  Of  course,  my  friend,  you've  heard  the  news, 
We're  going  to  war  and  we  need  some  shoes, 
As  we  can't  wait,  you'll  have  to  come, 
So  pack  up  your  kit  and  follow  the  drum." 

IV 

The  tailor  slim  with  legs  so  loose, 

Was  pressing  a  seam  with  a  red-hot  goose; 
A  kick  at  the  door,  it  opened  wide 

And  the  burly  sergeant  in  did  stride. 
'  We're  off  to  the  war,  my  little  friend, 
And  we  want  a  tailor  our  clothes  to  mend, 
So  pick  up  your  goose,  don't  look  so  glum, 
'Tis  a  glorious  trade  to  follow  the  drum." 


The  clergyman  sat  his  study  within 

Devising  new  ways  to  battle  with  sin ; 

A  knock  was  heard  at  the  parsonage  door, 
And  the  sergeant's  sword  clanged  on  the  floor. 


1 9o  BLENNERHASSETT 

"  We're  going  to  war,  and  when  we  die, 
We  shall  need  a  man  of  God  near  by ; 
We're  all  of  us  bound  to  Kingdom  Come, 
So  bring  your  Bible  and  follow  the  drum." 

VI 

A  pretty  lass  was  milking  a  cow, 

The  sergeant  went  up  and  made  a  bow ; 
"We're  off  to  the  war,  my  pretty  maid;" 

"  My  blessing  go  with  you,  brave  sir,"   she  said. 
"  I'll  stay  at  home,  and  lint  will  pick; 
Take  care  of  the  old  folks,  and  nurse  the  sick; 
And  if  at  last  the  worst  should  come, 
I'll  dress  like  a  man  and  follow  the  drum." 

VII 

"  Three  old  women — the  first  was  lame, 

The  second  was  blind  and  the  third  nigh  dumb — 
To  stay  at  home  they  said  was  a  shame, 
"  We'll  follow  the  men,  and  follow  the  drum ! 
Our  wills  are  good,  but  long  is  the  way, 
To  catch  the  soldiers  we'll  all  of  us  try, 
For  where  there's  a  will  there's  always  a  way, 
If  our  strength  gives  out,  like  men  we'll  die." 

As  the  hostess  finished  her  recital  of  the  patriotic 
lines,  she  was  greeted  with  applause  by  her  auditors. 

"  I  feel  justified  in  applauding  you  for  the  manner 
in  which  you  read  that  song,  Mrs  Blennerhassett,"  said 
Theodosia,  "  but  I  cannot  so  heartily  applaud  the  cause 
that  led  to  the  writing  of  it.  In  other  words,  I  abhor 
warlike  conflicts,  and  heartily  wish  that  the  Prince  of 
Peace  could  and  would  end  all  strife." 

Burr  glanced  at  his  daughter.  He  could  not  blame 
her  for  so  frankly  expressing  her  real  sentiments,  for 
he  had  taught  her  from  her  earliest  youth  to  be  brave 
and  never  to  be  afraid  to  speak  out  plainly  what  she 
honestly  thought,  but  he  feared  that  the  sentiments  she 
had  expressed  might  be  too  heartily  endorsed  by  her 


THE  SONG  OF  THE  DRUM    191 

listeners,  and  that  endorsement  might  militate  against 
some  of  his  plans  to  be  unfolded  in  the  future,  so  he 
said: 

"  War  is  the  sacrifice  of  nations.  If  man  atones  for 
his  sins  by  blood,  why  should  not  nations  ?  " 

Burr  rarely  made  the  mistake  of  saying  too  much, 
but  a  glance  at  his  daughter's  face  showed  him  that 
this  time  he  had  done  so.  His  allusion  to  a  man's 
atoning  for  his  sins  with  his  blood  had  evidently 
brought  back  to  his  daughter's  mind  the  incident  of 
the  duel,  and  he  regretted  very  much  that  he  had  not 
allowed  the  matter  to  drop  without  comment.  This 
regret  was  more  intensified  when  he  saw  his  daughter 
rise  from  her  seat  and,  with  a  few  incoherent  words  of 
apology,  start  to  leave  the  room.  Kate  sprang  to  her 
feet,  and,  placing  her  arm  about  Theodosia's  waist,  ac 
companied  her  from  the  room. 

As  the  meal  was  over,  the  remainder  of  the  party  left 
their  places.  Burr,  turning  to  Mrs.  Blennerhassett, 
explained  that  his  daughter  was  subject  to  such  ner 
vous  attacks  which  were,  however,  slight  in  their  na 
ture  and  not  of  long  duration.  He  would  go  at  once  to 
her  room  and  learn  her  exact  condition.  Then  Mrs. 
Blennerhassett  went  to  attend  to  her  multifarious 
housekeeping  duties  while  her  husband  made  his  way 
to  his  laboratory,  being  engaged  in  the  preparation  of  a 
chemical  formula  for  preserving  meats  and  fish  without 
ice,  from  which  he  expected,  as  he  usually  did,  great 
results. 

Burr  reached  the  door  of  his  daughter's  room.  His 
request  for  admittance  was  answered  by  Kate,  who 
held  the  door  ajar  and  said,  playfully,  that  gentlemen 
could  not  be  admitted  as  they  were  not  needed.  Mrs. 
Alston,  she  informed  him,  would  soon  recover  and  they 
would  join  him  shortly. 

Burr  went  down  stairs  somewhat  ill  at  ease  with 
himself.  His  daughter  had  told  him  time  and  time 


1 92  BLENNERHASSETT 

again  that  she  did  not  blame  him  for  the  course  that  he 
had  taken  in  dealing  with  General  Hamilton.  She 
had  told  him  that  she  thought  that  he  was  right  and 
that  his  adversary  had  met  the  fate  that  he  deserved. 
But  yet,  he  had  noticed  that  any  allusion  to  the  duel 
or  to  bloodshed  of  any  kind  brought  on  those  nervous 
attacks,  and  he  felt  that  in  the  future  he  must  be  careful 
not  to  refer  in  her  presence  to  any  undertakings  except 
those  of  a  peaceful  nature.  To  that  extent,  he  knew  he 
would  have  his  daughter's  consent  and  assistance,  but 
he  felt  sure  that  she  would  shrink  from  contact  with 
any  scheme  which  would  eventuate  in  hostilities  of  a 
warlike  nature. 

With  these  thoughts  in  his  mind,  he  emerged  from 
the  great  doorway,  and  looked  across  the  broad  lawn 
which,  like  a  green  carpet,  reached  down  to  the  water's 
edge  where  it  joined  the  blue  of  the  river.  Strange  it 
is,  that  it  is  only  the  hand  of  Nature  that  can  make 
these  two  colors  harmonize  so  as  not  to  offend  the  eye, 
for  the  light  that  Nature  throws  upon  them,  blending 
them  so  harmoniously,  cannot  be  imitated  by  the  hand 
of  man. 

Then  his  eye  caught  a  novel  and  pretty  sight.  The 
three  little  boys  of  the  family  and  his  own  little  grand 
son  were  playing  soldiers.  Dominick  Blennerhassett 
was  about  seven  years  of  age,  his  brother  Harman  was 
five,  while  Lewis  was  about  the  same  age  as  little  Aaron. 
Dominick  had  a  small  toy  drum  upon  which  he  was 
pounding.  The  other  three  were  soldiers,  each  being 
armed  with  a  stick  which  was,  of  course,  supposed  to 
be  a  gun.  At  this  sight,  Burr's  martial  ardor  revived. 
For  the  time  being,  he  forgot  his  daughter's  sentiments 
and  objections.  Calling  to  the  little  boys,  they  came 
running  towards  him.  Then  he  took  the  drum  and 
gave  them  a  few  points  of  rudimentary  instruction  in 
military  tactics.  He  made  the  four  little  boys  toe  a 
straight  line;  then  he  showed  them  how  to  hold  their 


THE  SONG  OF  THE  DRUM    193 

sticks  in  some  degree  approaching  military  precision. 
He  told  them  which  foot  to  put  forward  first  when  he 
gave  the  order  to  march.  Then,  beating  the  drum 
loudly,  the  man  who  had  led  a  brilliant  charge  against 
the  enemy  in  the  white  heat  of  the  great  battle  at  Mon- 
mouth,  marched  proudly  down  the  gravel  path  followed 
by  his  line  of  infant  soldiers. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

A  DREAM  OF  EMPIRE 

ALL  the  rooms  in  the  palace  in  the  woods  were 
not  so  large  in  size  nor  sombre  in  tone  as  the 
great  hall.  There  were  smaller  and  daintily 
furnished  rooms,  in  the  arranging  of  which  Mrs.  Blen- 
nerhassett  had  shown  herself  to  be  possessed  of  a  fine 
artistic  sense  and  one  capable  of  producing  the  most 
harmonious  effects.  The  drawing-room,  so-called,  was 
light,  airy,  and  elegant.  The  floor  was  covered  with  a 
gaily-colored  carpet  while  rich  curtains  hung  at  the 
windows;  classic  pictures  were  upon  the  walls;  several 
large  mirrors  were  also  placed  there  which  were  not 
only  beautiful  in  themselves,  but,  by  reflection,  showed 
the  artistic  treasures  that  the  room  contained.  Many 
choice  ornaments,  which  the  modern  world  calls  bric-a- 
brac  or  articles  of  vertu,  were  displayed  advantageously 
in  different  parts  of  the  room,  while  a  large  cabinet 
with  glass  doors,  was  filled  with  specimens  of  wood  and 
stone  and  metal  which  had  been  discovered  by  either 
Mr.  Blennerhassett  or  his  wife  in  their  walks  and  rides 
through  their  virgin  western  country. 

After  breakfast,  Mrs.  Blennerhassett  had  taken 
Theodosia  to  the  drawing-room  and  had  seated  her 
in  one  of  its  most  luxuriously  upholstered  chairs. 

Then,  in  her  naturally  impulsive  way,  she  dropped 
upon  her  knees  beside  Theodosia's  chair,  took  her  hands 
in  hers,  and  looked  up  into  her  face. 

"Dear,  do  you  feel  any  worse  than  you  did?" 
asked  Mrs.  Blennerhassett. 

194 


A  DREAM  OF  EMPIRE        195 

Just  the  shade  of  a  smile,  a  faint,  weary  smile,  passed 
over  Theodosia's  face  as  she  replied : 

"  No  worse,  my  dear  friend,  and  no  better." 

Mrs.  Blennerhassett  pressed  the  sufferer's  hand 
between  her  own,  and  said :  "  But  you  will  soon.  I 
suppose  I  ought  to  have  told  you.  I  have  sent  Ran- 
some  to  Marietta  for  our  dear,  good,  old  doctor,  the 
kindest  and  best  man  in  the  world,  and  a  fine  physician, 
too." 

A  look  indicative  of  surprise  passed  over  Theo 
dosia's  face;  then  she  said,  deprecatingly,  to  her  host 
ess  :  "  You  are  so  kind  to  such  an  unwelcome  guest 
as  myself." 

A  slight  flush  mounted  to  Mrs.  Blennerhassett's  face, 
but  the  thought  instantly  flashed  through  her  mind  that 
the  one  who  had  spoken  was  sick.  She  rejoined,  pleas 
antly,  "  Visitors  are  never  unwelcome  at  this  house.  If 
they  fall  sick  while  here,  it  is  our  duty  to  cure  them 
before  we  allow  them  to  leave  us." 

Theodosia  grasped  both  of  Mrs.  Blennerhassett's 
hands  in  hers  and  pressed  them  warmly.  "  Forgive  my 
ungenerous  speech,"  she  cried,  "  but  I  am  afraid  your 
dear  good  doctor  won't  understand  my  case."  Then, 
as  if  desirous  of  changing  the  subject,  she  asked, 
"Where  is  my  father?" 

Mrs.  Blennerhassett  rose  from  the  kneeling  posture 
which  she  had  occupied  up  to  this  time  and,  drawing 
a  chair  close  to  Theodosia,  sat  down  beside  her.  "  Your 
father  is  having  a  long  talk  with  Harman.  They  have 
been  closeted  in  the  library  for  a  couple  of  hours." 

Theodosia,  without  reflecting,  said  quickly,  "  I  am 
sorry." 

Mrs.  Blennerhassett  could  not  understand  the  feeling 
that  prompted  this  remark,  so  she  repeated,  inquiringly, 
"  Sorry  ?  Why,  what  do  you  mean  ?  Are  you  so 
jealous  of  your  father  that  you  cannot  allow  him  to  go 
out  of  your  sight?  " 


196  BLENNERHASSETT 

Theodosia  started  to  her  feet,  took  a  few  steps  for 
ward,  then  turned  and  faced  Mrs.  Blennerhassett. 
"No,  no!  not  that,"  she  said,  somewhat  abstractedly; 
she  paused  a  moment  and  then  continued,  "  He  is  my 
guardian  angel,  but  I  can  trust  him  away  from  me  for 
I  know  that  he  will  never  desert  me  while  life  remains. 
But  I  am  afraid  he  will  weary  your  husband  with  his 
talking;  he  is  such  an  ardent  lover  of  political  discus 
sion,  a  man  used  to  partisan  warfare,  while  your  hus 
band  is  so  quiet  in  his  tastes  and  life." 

"  A  little  animated  discussion  will  not  do  Harman  a 
bit  of  harm,  my  dear,"  replied  Mrs.  Blennerhassett, 
"  not  half  so  much  as  it  will  you  if  you  worry  about 
it.  Come,  sit  down  here  by  me  and  rest."  As  she  said 
this,  she  took  Theodosia's  hand  and  drew  her  back  to 
the  chair  which  she  had  formerly  occupied.  Just  then, 
a  slight  sound  attracted  Mrs.  Blennerhassett's  atten 
tion,  and,  looking  towards  the  door,  she  saw  that  Ran 
some  had  entered  the  room  and  was  bowing  his  white 
head  obsequiously.  "Why,  here's  Ransome!"  she 
cried,  "  Is  the  doctor  coming?  " 

Ransome  ran  his  ringers  through  his  hair,  and  then 
patted  the  top  of  his  head  softly  as  though  trying  to 
get  his  ideas  into  proper  shape  for  expression.  "  The 
doctor's  comin'  but  he  isn't  comin'." 

Mrs.  Blennerhassett  did  not  secure  the  information 
that  she  desired  from  what  Ransome  evidently  con 
sidered  a  lucid  explanation  of  the  situation,  so  she 
asked,  "  Who  is  not  coming?  " 

Ransome  again  endeavored  to  aid  his  thinking 
powers  and  finally  replied,  "  Why  Doctor  Johnson  isn't 
comin'." 

Mrs.  Blennerhassett  seemed  perplexed.  "  But  you 
said  he  was  coming." 

Ransome  made  a  third  effort  to  supply  the  necessary 
information.  "  So  he  is,  but  he  isn't  Dr.  Johnson." 

By  this    time,  Mrs.    Blennerhassett    was    becoming 


A  DREAM  OF  EMPIRE        197 

vexed  at  the  unsatisfactory  nature  of  Ransome's  re 
plies.  "Why  not,  Ransome?  You  know  we  always 
have  Dr.  Johnson  and  you  should  have  asked  him  and 
no  one  else  to  come."  There  was  a  slight  touch  of 
asperity  in  her  tone,  and  Ransome  knew  from  past 
experience  that  he  must  make  himself  clear,  and  he 
again  tried  to  unravel  the  complication  which  he  had 
himself  created.  "  I  did,  Missus,  but  you  see  Doctor 
Johnson  is  sick  abed  himself,  and  he  was  doctoring 
him,  and  Doctor  Johnson  said  if  he  wras  good  enough  to 
doctor  him,  he  was  good  enough  to  doctor  you." 

"  I  understand  now,"  remarked  the  lady.  "  When  is 
he  coming  ?  " 

Ransome  replied,  "  He  came  with  me  but,  as  he  was 
a  stranger,  I  told  him  that  I  would  introduce  him  and 
make  it  easier  for  him." 

"  That  was  very  thoughtful  of  you,"  said  Mrs.  Blen- 
nerhassett,  "  but  show  him  in  at  once." 

As  Ransome  left  the  room,  Theodosia  turned  to  her 
hostess  and  remarked,  "  Your  servant  is  quite  a  con 
versationalist,  I  should  imagine." 

"  Yes,"  replied  Mrs.  Blennerhassett,  with  a  light 
laugh,  "  but  it  is  sometimes  necessary,  as  you  see,  to 
assist  him  in  finding  the  point  of  his  own  story."  Then 
she  added,  "  He  is  a  great  admirer  of  my  husband's 
education,  and  Harman  has  given  him  many  books  to 
read,  and  they  have  hunted  together,  fished  together, 
and  argued  Scripture  together  until  they  have  become 
fast  friends,  and  Ransome  looks  upon  himself  as  a 
privileged  character." 

Ransome  opened  the  door  and  announced,  "  Doctor 
Hosack."  As  the  doctor  entered  the  room,  Mrs.  Blen 
nerhassett  advanced  to  meet  him;  as  she  did  so,  Theo 
dosia  left  the  chair  in  which  she  had  been  sitting  and 
walking  quickly  to  one  of  the  windows,  stood  half  con 
cealed  by  the  heavy  drapery  which  fell  to  the  floor. 
Doctor  Hosack  bowed  in  a  most  dignified  manner  and 


198  BLENNERHASSETT 

said :  "  Madam,  I  am  sorry  to  inform  you  that  Doc 
tor  Johnson  is  suffering  from  malarial  fever,  and  he  has 
delegated  me  to  call  on  you  professionally.  You  may 
count  on  my  best  service." 

At  the  conclusion  of  his  speech,  Mrs.  Blennerhassett 
returned  his  bow  with  one  as  dignified,  and  extended 
her  hand,  saying : 

"  Doctor  Johnson's  recommendation  makes  you  wel 
come  to  my  home  and  gives  me  every  confidence  in 
your  skill." 

The  doctor  stood  for  a  moment,  evidently  waiting 
for  the  lady  of  the  house  to  state  who  it  was  that  needed 
his  services.  As  she  did  not  speak,  he  finally  inquired, 
"  Madam,  how  can  I  serve  you?  " 

"  My  young  friend " — she  answered.  As  she 
turned,  she  saw  that  Theodosia  was  not  sitting  where 
she  had  left  her.  Her  quick  eye  at  once  discovered  her 
whereabouts,  and,  going  to  the  window,  she  took  Theo- 
dosia's  hand  and  led  her  towards  the  doctor,  saying, 
as  she  did  so :  "  This  is  the  young  lady  who  desires 
your  professional  services.  Mrs.  Alston,  Doctor 
Hosack." 

Theodosia  sank  languidly  into  a  chair.  The  doctor 
drew  another  towards  her  and  sat  down  upon  the  edge 
of  it,  in  the  way  peculiar  to  the  medical  profession,  hold 
ing  his  hat  in  one  hand  and  his  cane  in  the  other,  while 
Mrs.  Blennerhassett  walked  to  the  window  and  looked 
out  upon  the  lawn  where  the  four  little  boys  in  charge 
of  a  colored  nurse,  were  having  a  grand  romp. 

Theodosia  looked  up  into  the  doctor's  face  with  an 
expression  of  incredulity  in  her  own.  "  Doctor,  I  am 
afraid  your  pills  and  powders  will  do  me  no  good.  My 
trouble  is  mental  worry  and  disquiet  which  will  remain 
until  the  cause  is  removed." 

The  doctor  rejoined :  "  The  case  is,  doubtless,  as  I 
have  found  it  in  many  others,  too  much  blood.  A  little 
bleeding  may  relieve  you." 


A  DREAM  OF  EMPIRE        199 

Theodosia  started  to  her  feet,  and  wringing  her 
hands,  cried  excitedly,  "  Yes,  blood !  that's  it.  Too 
much  blood — bad  blood !  That  always  makes  quarrels, 
doesn't  it,  sir?  and  then  the  bleeding  follows.  Some 
die  in  battle,  some  on  the  field  of  honor  in  a  duel,  but 
few  people  with  bad  blood  die  in  their  beds,  do  they, 
Doctor?"  As  she  finished  her  somewhat  incoherent 
speech,  she  threw  herself  again  into  the  chair.  "  Bring 
the  swords  or  the  pistols.  Let  us  have  the  blood  drawn 
at  once." 

Mrs.  Blennerhassett's  attention  had  been  attracted 
from  the  antics  of  the  children  by  Theodosia's  voice. 
Every  word  spoken  had  been  distinctly  audible,  and 
as  Doctor  Hosack  approached  her,  she  turned  to  him 
with  an  expression  of  apprehension  in  her  face. 

"  I  am  afraid,  Mrs.  Blennerhassett,  our  young  friend 
is  going  to  have  a  fever.  She  wanders.  Put  her  to  bed, 
my  dear  Madam,  and,  remember,  no  drink  of  any 
kind." 

Theodosia  had  closed  her  eyes  and  was  consequently 
unaware  of  the  fact  that  the  physician  was  not  sitting 
beside  her.  She  opened  them  suddenly  and  cried, 
"Are  you  ready  for  the  bleeding,  Doctor?"  As  the 
words  escaped  her  lips,  the  ubiquitous  Ransome  entered, 
as  usual,  without  any  premonition  of  his  approach. 
He  held  a  letter  in  his  hand.  When  but  a  few  feet  dis 
tant  from  Theodosia,  he  extended  the  letter  towards 
her  and  announced: 

"  A  letter  for  Mrs.  Theodosia  Burr  Alston." 

As  Doctor  Hosack  heard  this  name,  he  gave  an  in 
voluntary  start  and  looked  inquiringly  at  Mrs.  Blen 
nerhassett.  With  a  delighted  cry,  Theodosia  sprang 
from  her  chair  and  eagerly  grasped  the  letter.  She 
glanced  at  the  superscription. 

"  I  thought  so!  I  am  so  glad!  It  is  from  my  hus 
band  whom  I  have  not  seen  since  I  parted  from  him 
in  Washington.  It  seems  so  long."  She  broke  the 


200  BLENNERHASSETT 

seals  and  opened  the  letter  in  her  quick  impulsive  way. 
She  read  the  first  few  lines,  then  said, 

"  My  dear  Madam,  and  my  good  doctor,  with 
your  kind  permission  I  will  go  to  my  room.  If  this 
letter  tells  me  that  my  husband  is  coming  to  meet  me 
I  shall  soon  be  as  well  as  ever."  Pressing  the  letter 
to  her  lips,  she  left  the  room,  followed  by  Ransome 
who,  after  he  had  closed  the  door,  gave  one  of  his  oily 
chuckles  and  then  muttered,  "  This  is  the  funniest 
crowd  that  ever  came  to  this  house." 

As  soon  as  the  door  was  closed,  Doctor  Hosack 
turned  to  Mrs.  Blennerhassett.  "  Pardon  my  curiosity, 
Madam,  but  did  your  servant  say  Burr  was  the  lady's 
name?  Do  you  know  her  father?  " 

The  lady  replied,  "  Her  name  was  Burr,  it  is  Theo- 
dosia  Burr  Alston.  Her  father  is  Colonel  Aaron  Burr. 
They  are  our  guests." 

"Aaron  Burr  here!"  cried  the  doctor,  evidently 
somewhat  disconcerted.  Turning  again  to  the  lady, 
he  added  in  his  usual  courteous  way,  "  Again  pardon 
me,  Madam,  but  I  think  Mrs.  Alston  will  soon  re 
cover.  She  will  not  need  my  services.  I  will  go  at 
once." 

The  evident  astonishment  shown  by  the  doctor  at 
the  intelligence  given  him,  aroused  Mrs.  Blenner- 
hassett's  curiosity  and  she  asked,  "  Did  you  ever  meet 
Colonel  Burr?" 

The  gentleman  was  half  uncertain  whether  it  were 
best  to  disclose  the  full  extent  of  his  acquaintance  with 
the  Colonel.  "  No,  that  is,  yes,  several  years  ago." 

"  Would  you  not  like  to  renew  your  acquaintance?  " 
asked  Mrs.  Blennerhassett.  "  He  is  with  my  husband 
in  the  library.  I  will  call  him."  As  she  said  this,  she 
made  a  movement  as  though  she  intended  to  summon 
her  guest.  The  doctor  raised  his  hands. 

"  My  dear  Madam,  not  for  the  world.  That  is,  on 
no  account  disturb  him.  I  will  go." 


A  DREAM  OF  EMPIRE        201 

"  Doctor,  your  actions  speak  more  than  your  words. 
I  have  no  right  to  be  curious  about  my  guests  but  I 
can  ask  you  why  you  do  not  wish  to  meet  Colonel 
Burr." 

"  You  are  right,  Madam,  I  will  explain."  He  then 
led  the  lady  to  a  chair  and  took  one  beside  her,  but  this 
time  he  laid  his  hat  and  cane  carefully  on  the  floor. 
Then  he  began :  "  You  know  Colonel  Burr  fought  a 
duel?" 

The  lady  was  all  attention.  "  With  General  Hamil 
ton,  yes." 

"  It  was  my  misfortune,"  said  the  doctor,  "  to 
be  the  surgeon  who  was  engaged  for  the  possible 
emergency." 

Mrs.  Blennerhassett  cried  out,  "  Did  you  see  the 
duel?" 

"  No,"  he  replied,  "  only  the  beginning  and  the  sad 
end.  I  shall  never  forget  that  final  picture.  Here,  the 
dying  man.  There  stood  Burr."  As  he  said  this,  with 
the  scene  existing  once  more  vividly  in  his  imagination, 
he  pointed  out  the  places  occupied  by  the  duellists. 

*'  Afterwards,  I  heard  a  strange  story  from  my 
friend,  Judge  Van  Ness,  about  a  young  girl  who  be 
came  acquainted  with  Burr  just  before  the  duel,  and 
who  had  a  quarrel  with  her  lover  which  ended  in  a 
separation." 

Mrs.  Blennerhassett  looked  at  the  doctor,  inquir 
ingly.  "  This  duel  was  not  caused  by  a  woman,  was 
it?" 

"  Bless  you,  no !  Madam.  I  must  explain  all.  It 
seems  that  Colonel  Burr  had  given  the  young  woman 
some  money;  for  what,  I  know  not;  and  her  lover — " 

"  Tell  me  no  more !  "  cried  Mrs.  Blennerhassett, 
"  tell  me  no  more.  I  know  the  sad  story  too  well.  I 
know  the  young  man."  Then  she  said  to  herself, 
"  Poor  Frederic!  "  A  new  idea  seemed  to  strike  her; 
turning  to  the  doctor,  she  asked, 


202  BLENNERHASSETT 

"  And  the  young  woman,  doctor,  should  you  know 
her  if—" 

The  door  opened  a  very  small  space  and  a  pretty 
face  looked  in.  Mrs.  Blennerhassett  saw  it  and  called 
out,  "  Come  in !  Come  in !  "  In  response,  a  young  girl 
pushed  the  door  half-way  open  and  stood  revealed  to 
the  gaze  of  the  occupants  of  the  room.  "  Excuse  this 
interruption,  Mrs.  Blennerhassett,  but  I  thought  Theo- 
dosia  might  be  here." 

"  She  has  a  letter  from  her  husband,  Miss  Embleton, 
and  has  gone  to  her  room  to  read  it." 

"  Thank  you,  Mrs.  Blennerhassett,"  said  Kate. 

As  she  left  the  room,  the  doctor  cried,  "  And  she  is 
here,  too  ?  " 

"  She  ?  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  asked  Mrs.  Blenner 
hassett. 

The  doctor  paused;  then  he  said:  "  I  must  tell  you 
the  remainder  of  my  story.  I  met  that  young  lady  one 
day  at  Judge  Van  Ness's  house,  when  I  called  upon 
him.  I,  naturally,  being  an  intimate  friend  of  his  and 
she  a  stranger,  asked  who  she  was,  and  he  told  me  what 
had  taken  place  between  this  young  lady  and  her  lover 
on  the  day  of  the  duel.  I  would  wager  my  life  that 
the  girl  who  has  just  left  this  room  was  on  that  field 
of  death." 

Mrs.  Blennerhassett  rejoined,  gravely,  "  I  have  no 
doubt  of  it,  Doctor.  I  thank  you  for  your  confidence, 
and  can  imagine  our  guests  do  not  rouse  very  pleasant 
memories  in  your  mind." 

'  They  do  not,"  the  doctor  replied,  "  and  with  your 
kind  permission,  I  will  take  my  departure." 

Mrs.  Blennerhassett  followed  him  to  the  door.  "  Ex 
press  to  Doctor  Johnson  my  earnest  hope  for  his  speedy 
recovery." 

The  doctor  bowed.  "  I  will  with  pleasure,  Madam. 
Good  morning." 


A  DREAM  OF  EMPIRE        203 

After  Mrs.  Blennerhassett  closed  the  door,  she  stood 
for  a  moment  apparently  in  a  quandary. 

"  This  is  a  startling  situation.  The  lover,  the  maiden, 
and  the  villain,  as  Frederic  calls  him,  likely  to  meet  at 
any  moment."  She  took  a  few  steps  in  an  undecided 
way,  then  leaning  her  hand  upon  the  table,  stood  and 
mused.  Her  own  face  and  form  were  pictured  in  the 
silver  surface  of  a  mirror,  but  she  was  not  thinking 
of  herself.  "  Now  if  they  can  meet  in  the  right  way, 
all  may  come  out  happily.  Time  may  have  prepared 
the  road  for  a  reconciliation.  Frederic  still  loves  her. 
She  is  unmarried  and  seems  fancy  free.  Colonel  Burr 
must  use  his  influence  to  make  these  young  people 
happy."  She  looked  up  and  saw  her  own  reflection  in 
the  mirror  before  her.  Such  was  her  sensitive  nature 
that  it  seemed  to  her  that  her  words  had  been  overheard 
by  another,  and  although  it  was  foolish,  a  bright  flush 
rose  to  her  cheeks,  which  deepened  to  a  rich  red  on 
hearing  a  footstep  behind  her.  She  turned  and  found 
herself  face  to  face  with  Captain  Clarke. 

"  Why,  Captain  Clarke!  "  she  cried,  "just  the  man 
of  all  in  the  world  I  wished  to  see.  I  have  astounding 
news  for  you." 

Frederic  looked  at  her  crimsoned  face,  then  said : 

"  I  have  some  news  for  you,  perhaps  equally  as 
tounding.  Excuse  my  inquisitiveness,  but  have  you 
any  guests  from  the  East  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  she  replied,  "  A  gentleman  and — " 

Frederic  interrupted  her,  "  And  his  daughter.  That 
gentleman  is  Colonel  Burr.  Is  that  your  astounding 
news  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  replied  Mrs.  Blennerhassett,  somewhat 
vexed  that  Frederic  had  anticipated  her  story.  "  Bui 
how  did  you  know  ?  Did  you  meet  Doctor  Hosack  ?  " 

"  Doctor  Hosack?  "  repeated  Frederic,  "  Who  is  he? 
I  know  no  such  man.  But  I  learned  that  Mrs.  Alston's 


204  BLENNERHASSETT 

husband  was  at  Marietta.  He  is  in  search  of  his  wife. 
I  volunteered  to  come  and  see  if  Colonel  Burr  were 
here.  So  much  to  oblige  Mr.  Alston.  But  if  Colonel 
Burr  is  here,  I  wish  to  have  a  few  minutes'  conversa 
tion  with  him  on  my  own  account." 

Mrs.  Blennerhassett  said  prematurely,  "  If  you  find 
out  where  she  is — " 

Frederic  turned  towards  her  half  angrily,  "  How  do 
you  know  that  I  wish  to  see  Colonel  Burr  about  a 
she?" 

Mrs.  Blennerhassett  placed  her  hand  imploringly  on 
his  arm.  "  Be  calm,  Frederic.  Because,  my  poor  boy, 
Doctor  Hosack  was  the  surgeon  who  was  on  the  field 
when  the  duel  took  place,  and  he  has  told  me  all.  You 
revealed  to  me  the  story  of  your  life.  Fate  has  brought 
you  face  to  face  once  more." 

Frederic  did  not  fully  comprehend  what  his  friend 
had  told  him,  and  he  cried  fiercely,  "  He  shall  tell  me 
where  she  is." 

The  lady  intuitively  understood  Frederic's  incom 
prehension  and  her  first  thought  was,  "  He  must  see 
Colonel  Burr  at  once."  She  turned  to  Frederic,  "  And 
he  shall.  I  will  send  him  to  you  at  once."  As  she 
spoke,  she  quitted  the  room.  When  left  alone,  Frederic 
could  restrain  his  emotion  no  longer.  He  walked  ex 
citedly  up  and  down  the  room,  coming  in  contact  with 
several  articles  of  furniture  whose  proximity  he  re 
pulsed  as  vigorously  as  he  could  have  done  if  they  had 
been  human  beings.  As  he  walked,  he  spoke :  "  If 
she  is  with  him,  he  shall  answer  to  me.  If  she  has 
left  him  and  is  trying  to  be  an  honest  woman,  I  will 
find  her  and  then, — God  knows  what  I  shall  do 
then." 

Exhausted  with  passion,  which  he  had  not  tried  to 
control,  he  fell  into  a  chair,  at  the  farther  end  of  the 
room,  which  had  been  placed  so  that  its  occupant  could 
see  and  examine  at  leisure  a  group  of  statuary  that 


A  DREAM  OF  EMPIRE        205 

was  placed  upon  a  table  before  it.  He  was  thus  par 
tially  concealed  from  view,  when  Kate  entered  the 
drawing  room. 

"  That  horrid  Theodosia  has  locked  herself  in  her 
room  and  is  crying  and  laughing,  at  the  same  time, 
over  his  letter.  She  called  through  the  door  that  he 
was  coming.  I  suppose  she  means  her  husband.  I 
wonder  if  I  shall  ever  await  the  coming  of  a  he  with 
such  joy  ?  "  The  room  was  so  quiet  that  every  word 
was  perfectly  distinct  to  Frederic,  who  gazed  at  her 
intently.  "  There  is  only  one  man  in  the  world  I  would 
care  to  meet." 

Frederic  jumped  to  his  feet  and  strode  rapidly  to 
wards  her,  crying,  "  Kate !  Kate ! !  " 

The  girl  turned  quickly  as  she  heard  her  name  pro 
nounced  in  such  impassioned  tones.  Was  this  man 
who  stood  before  her  the  only  one  she  cared  to  meet? 
He  must  have  been,  for,  with  a  glad  cry,  and  his  name 
— Frederic — upon  her  lips,  she  threw  herself  into  his 
arms. 

For  a  moment,  the  lovers  stood  motionless  and 
speechless  in  the  gladsomeness  of  this  first  moment  of 
reunion.  Words  seemed  unnecessary  and  the  lips  of 
neither  moved  to  frame  them.  Then,  Frederic  broke 
the  silence : 

"  You  said,  Kate,  there  was  only  one  man  in  the 
world  whom  you  cared  to  meet.  Am  I  that  man  ?  " 

She  had  not  looked  into  his  face,  but  now  she  glanced 
up  at  him,  and,  as  a  flush  spread  over  cheek  and  brow, 
she  confessed, 

"  I  was  thinking  of  you." 

Frederic  took  the  girl's  hands  in  his,  and,  holding 
her  at  arm's  length,  looked  into  her  face  with  a  scru 
tinizing  glance.  "  And  I  have  been  thinking  of  you 
for  two  long  years,  since  you  deserted  me  for  a  life 
with  him.  Had  I  met  you  a  thousand  miles  away  from 
him,  I  would  have  said  I  have  never  ceased  to  love 


206  BLENNERHASSETT 

you,  but  when  I  find  you  in  his  company,  I  can  only 
say—" 

Was  he  going  to  renew  the  old  conflict?  Although 
the  grasp  upon  them  was  tight,  she  withdrew  her  hands 
from  his  and 'said,  with  just  a  touch  of  her  old  time 
spirit, 

;'  You  were  going  to  say  that  you  hate  me." 

"  No,"  rejoined  Frederic,  quickly,  "  I  hate  him,  and 
he  shall  answer  to  me  for  his  actions.  Mrs.  Blenner- 
hassett  has  gone  to  bring  him  here  so  that  I  may 
speak  with  him." 

Kate  clasped  her  hands.  "  You  must  not  meet  him !  " 
she  exclaimed. 

"  It  rests  with  you,"  he  cried,  "  to  prevent  our  meet 
ing  and  the  consequences  which  will  surely  come  from 
it." 

"  What  can  I  do?  "  asked  Kate,  hesitatingly. 

Again,  Frederic  caught  her  hands  in  his  and  drew 
her  towards  him.  "  Come  with  me,  Kate,  this  very  in 
stant.  I  will  make  you  my  wife,  for  I  love  you;  but 
you  must  come  now  and  swear  that  you  will  never 
look  upon  his  face  again." 

Kate  again  wrested  her  hands  from  the  tight  grasp 
which  held  them,  and,  drawing  herself  up,  proudly, 
said,  "Desert  my  benefactor  in  such  a  way?  A  man 
who  has  always  treated  me  like  a  daughter;  who  gave 
the  poor  orphan  girl  what  she  never  knew  before,  the 
blessing  of  a  father's  love?  Frederic,  you  ask  too 
much.  Only  let  me  say  good-bye  to  him,  and  I  will 
go." 

The  young  man's  hot  temper,  again  fiercely  roused 
by  the  known  proximity  of  the  man  he  most  hated, 
would  not  allow  him  to  grant  even  this  slight  con 
cession  to  the  woman  he  professed  to  love  so  much. 
All  the  vengeful  fire  in  his  nature  rose  at  this  request. 
"  Not  one  word,  Kate,  to  him.  Hark !  They  are 
coming.  If  he  enters  this  room  before  we  leave  it,  as 


A  DREAM  OF  EMPIRE        207 

a  man  of  honor,  I  can  do  but  one  thing — demand  an 
explanation,  which  he  will  refuse;  I  shall  challenge 
him,  and  one  of  us  will  die,  and  end  this  heart 
ache." 

Kate's  own  fiery  spirit  was  stirred.  She  faced  him 
defiantly,  "And  you  are  resolved  upon  this  course?" 
The  look  in  her  eye  caused  him  to  lose  what  little  self- 
control  he  had  possessed  up  to  this  moment.  Advan 
cing  towards  her,  he  cried, 

"  Before  Heaven,  I  swear  I  will  take  no  other !  " 

As  he  spoke  the  words,  he  raised  his  right  hand  to 
give  force  to  his  oath.  He  looked  so  strong  and  mas 
terful,  as  he  stood  there.  "  They  will  surely  fight," 
thought  Kate,  and  a  shudder  ran  through  her.  He  had 
stated  the  case  plainly.  Their  meeting  must  be  averted 
and  there  was  only  one  way  in  which  it  could  be  done. 
She  must  yield ;  but  was  it  for  the  sake  of  the  man  who 
loved  her  with  so  fierce  a  passion,  or  was  it  as  much 
from  regard  for  him  who  had  been  a  kind,  indulgent 
father?  It  made  no  difference;  she  must  yield.  She 
turned  to  him  and  said  simply, 

"  Then  come." 

Frederic  caught  her  in  his  arms  and  clasped  her  so 
firmly  that  she  struggled  to  free  herself.  "  Come ! 
Come ! !  "  she  cried,  "  or  we  may  be  too  late."  She 
felt  the  necessity  for  speedy  action  excused  this  short 
love-making. 

"Mine  at  last!"  he  cried;  he  took  her  hand  and 
they  rushed  from  the  room. 

As  Frederic  grasped  the  handle  of  the  door,  prepara 
tory  to  opening  it,  on  the  other  side  of  it,  Ransome  had 
just  placed  his  finger  upon  the  latch  with  the  intention 
of  entering  the  room.  As  the  door  was  suddenly 
opened,  Bansome  relaxed  his  hold  and  stepped  back 
wards.  So  intent  wrere  Frederic  and  Kate  upon  making 
a  speedy  exit,  that  they  did  not  notice  the  old  servant 
who,  as  he  looked  after  them,  gave  another  of  his 


208  BLENNERHASSETT 

unctuous  chuckles;  then  he  entered  the  drawing  room, 
saying,  as  he  did  so, 

"  Now  ef  this  wasn't  broad  daylight,  I  should  'spect 
that  that  was  a  'lopement." 

Ransome  had  hardly  closed  the  door  before  it  was 
opened  again  and  Mrs.  Blennerhassett  entered,  accom 
panied  by  Colonel  Burr.  She  looked  about  the  room 
and,  not  seeing  Frederic,  cried, 

"Not  here!  Where  can  he  be?"  Then,  spying 
Ransome,  she  asked,  "  Ransome,  have  you  seen  Mr. 
Clarke?" 

The  old  servant  nodded  his  head,  affirmatively.  "  I 
can  hardly  say  I  saw  him,  Missus,  he  was  goin'  out  so 
speedy,  but  I  did  get  a  glimpse." 

"  Gone  ?  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Blennerhassett,  "  where 
did  he  go  and  when  ?  " 

The  old  retainer  chuckled  again  and  said :  "  He 
went  through  that  door,  jess  now  like  a  shot,  with  Miss 
Embleton,  and  they  seemed  in  a  drefful  hurry." 

Colonel  Burr,  who  had  been  an  interested  listener  to 
this  conversation,  now  turned  to  his  hostess  with  a 
smile  upon  his  face :  "  I  think  I  can  explain  the  situa 
tion,  Mrs.  Blennerhassett.  The  young  man,  whose 
story  I  have  heard  from  Kate,  met  the  young  lady. 
She  has  explained  matters;  he  is  satisfied,  and  they 
have  gone  to  smooth  down  their  feathers  before  they 
face  us  again  and  say  they  are  going  to  build  a  nest  of 
their  own.  Kate  is  a  splendid  girl.  I  have  educated 
her  as  if  she  were  my  own,  and  if  she  loves  the  young 
man,  he  shall  have  her  with  my  blessing." 

"  I  hope  so,"  answered  Mrs.  Blennerhassett,  "  I  shall 
be  delighted  if  the  affair  turns  out  so  happily." 

While  Colonel  Burr  had  been  expressing  his  senti 
ments,  Ransome  had  left  the  room;  as  he  did  so,  Mr. 
Blennerhassett  entered  in  time  to  hear  his  wife's  closing 
words.  "  What  is  it  all  about,  Margaret?  "  he  asked. 
As  his  question  fell  upon  their  ears,  his  listeners 


A  DREAM  OF  EMPIRE        209 

turned  towards  him;  he  continued,  "I  am  so  full  of 
Colonel  Burr's  land  schemes  that  I  do  not  exactly  know 
what  affair  you  are  talking  about." 

"  Your  wife  will  tell  you  all  about  the  affair,  which 
is  the  old,  old  story;  two  young  and  loving  hearts, 
happy  only  in  each  other's  company.  But  now  I  am 
desirous  of  talking  over  our  business  matters  with  Mrs. 
Blennerhassett  who,  I  am  confident,  is  a  business 
woman." 

"  You  are  right.  Colonel,"  said  Mr.  Blennerhassett, 
"  you  must  tell  Margaret  for  I  never  engage  in  any 
business  without  her  advice." 

"  And  consent,"  added  Mrs.  Blennerhassett,  with  a 
laugh. 

At  that  moment,  Theodosia  burst  into  the  room,  her 
face  filled  with  animation ;  she  held  an  open  letter  aloft 
in  her  right  hand.  Apparently  regardless,  for  the  in 
stant,  of  the  presence  of  Mr.  Blennerhassett  and  his 
wife,  she  ran  to  her  father  and  threw  her  arms  about  his 
neck.  "  Father,  he  is  coming,"  she  cried,  "  he  received 
your  letter  and  is  on  the  way;  he  says  he  may  arrive 
before  his  letter.  He  will  go  to  Marietta  and  await  a 
letter  or  message  from  you  if  you  have  gone  beyond." 
She  held  the  letter  up  before  her  father's  eyes.  "  See! 
what  a  long  letter  he  has  written  me." 

Burr  clasped  her  slight  form  tenderly  in  his  arms 
and  pressed  a  kiss  upon  her  upturned  face;  then  held 
her  at  arms'  length  and  said,  playfully,  "  And  how  did 
he  end  it?  I  wager  there  is  not  one  word  for  me,  his 
affectionate  father-in-law." 

Theodosia  cried:  "Oh,  yes!  he  says,"  and  she 
looked  at  the  letter,  "  kiss  for  me  those  who  love  me, 
and  so  I  must  kiss  you." 

As  Theodosia  withdrew  herself  from  her  father's 
embrace,  she  saw  the  pleased  faces  of  Mrs.  Blenner 
hassett  and  her  husband.  Turning  to  them,  she  asked, 
"  Can  you  forgive  me  for  being  so  thoughtless  ?  I 


210  BLENNERHASSETT 

felt  so  happy  over  my  letter;  and  when  I  am  happy — 
yes — when  I  am  sad,  if  my  father  is  near  me  I  always 
confide  in  him.  In  my  happiness,  I  forgot  my  polite 
ness."  Turning  to  her  father,  she  said,  with  an  as 
sumed  air  of  surprise,  "  I  am  greatly  shocked,  father, 
that  you  did  not  reprove  me  when  I  first  came  into  the 
room."  Then,  with  a  merry  laugh,  she  cried,  "  I  am 
going  to  look  out  on  the  river  and  see  if  he  is  coming," 
and  she  ran  from  the  room. 

Mrs.  Blennerhassett  looked  after  the  retreating 
figure;  then,  turning  to  her  guest,  she  said :  "  What  an 
all-impassioned,  sensitive,  thrilling  creature  your 
daughter  is,  Colonel  Burr." 

"  Yes,"  he  replied,  "  she  is  all  brain  and  heart, 
Madam,  and  I  sometimes  fear  that  the  brain  is  too 
active  and  the  heart  too  loving  for  the  fragile  casket 
in  which  nature  has  placed  them." 

Mr.  Blennerhassett,  who  had  not  been  greatly  in 
terested  in  the  scene  which  had  just  taken  place,  now 
remarked :  "  Would  it  not  be  a  good  time,  Colonel 
Burr,  to  explain  that  land  business  to  my  wife?  " 

"  Your  husband,"  said  Burr,  turning  to  Mrs.  Blen 
nerhassett,  "  has  all  the  impetuosity  of  the  Celtic  race. 
How  different  from  our  Jersey  phlegm.  It  seems  born 
in  a  Jerseyman  to  never  do  to-day  what  he  can  just  as 
well  put  off  until  to-morrow.  That's  the  reason  our 
citizens  live  to  such  an  advanced  age."  His  clos 
ing  remark  provoked  a  hearty  laugh  in  which  he 
joined. 

"  Well,  Colonel,"  said  Blennerhassett,  somewhat  im 
patiently,  "  if  you  do  not  tell  Margaret  to-day,  I  cer 
tainly  will  do  so." 

"  Perhaps  it  is  better  that  you  should,"  replied  Burr, 
courteously.  "If  she  agrees  with  your  present  opinion, 
our  path  will  be  clear.  If  she  disagrees,  then  we  must 
combine  our  forces  and  convince  her  by  fact  and  ir 
resistible  argument,"  and  with  a  low  bow,  he  added, 


A  DREAM  OF  EMPIRE        211 

"  while  you  are  so  engaged,  with  your  kind  permission, 
I  will  join  my  daughter." 

When  Colonel  Burr  left  the  room,  Mr.  Blenner- 
hassett  said  to  his  wife,  "  He  is  a  wonderful  man." 

"  So  are  you,  Harman,"  his  wife  rejoined,  "  or  you 
might  be  if  you  would  use  your  talents  in  a  way  to 
let  the  world  see  your  ability.  What  does  Colonel  Burr 
have  in  mind  ?  " 

"  A  great  scheme,  Margaret.  Come,  let  us  sit  down. 
A  certain  Baron  Bastrop  owns  a  very  large  tract  of  land 
on  the  Washita  River  in  the  Territory  of  Louisiana. 
Colonel  Burr  wishes  me  to  join  him  and  others  in  pur 
chasing  this  land,  with  two  purposes  in  view;  one,  to 
divide  the  land  into  estates  and  sell  them,  thus  realizing 
an  immense  fortune  between  us;  the  other  purpose  is 
to  establish  a  colony  of  independent  and  worthy  indi 
viduals  and  rear  around  us  a  society  remarkable  for 
the  refinements  of  civil  and  social  life.  What  do  you 
think  of  the  idea,  Margaret  ?  " 

His  wife  replied,  impulsively,  "  It  seems  a  grand 
idea,  and  one  in  which,  if  you  join  him,  you  will  find 
an  opportunity  to  become  what  nature  intended  you 
should  be,  a  leader  and  perhaps  a  ruler  of  men." 

'  You  have  high  aims  for  me,  Margaret,"  he  sai<J 
with  a  smile.  "  I  am,  I  will  allow,  somewhat  pleased 
with  the  scheme;  but  I  am  afraid  I  should  soon  wish 
for  the  old  study,  and  the  library,  and  my  telescope, 
and  'cello." 

His  wife  replied,  "  All  the  pleasures  you  name  and 
enjoy  here  you  could  enjoy  there  as  well  as  here,  and  in 
a  larger  circle,  I  should  have  opportunities  that  our 
present  isolation  denies  to  me." 

Blennerhassett  looked  into  his  wife's  face.  "  Are 
you  unhappy  here,  Margaret?" 

"  No,  Harman,  a  thousand  times  no !  "  she  cried, 
taking  her  husband's  hand  in  hers.  "  No  woman  could 
be  unhappy  with  such  a  husband  and  such  a  home;  but 


2 1 2  BLENNERHASSETT 

you  would  become  famous  there;    here,  there  are  none 
to  appreciate  your  worth." 

"  But,"  he  interrogated,  "  if  I  were  happiest 
here?" 

Mrs.  Blennerhassett  took  the  hand  which  she  held  in 
hers,  placed  it  about  her  neck,  and  sat  close  to  her 
husband's  side :  "  Then  your  wife  would  say,  remain 
here,  for  your  happiness  is  hers." 

Blennerhassett  embraced  his  wife,  "  And  yours  is 
mine,  Margaret;  if  there  is  any  other  place  where  you 
would  be  happier  than  here,  there  I  will  make  a  home 
for  you." 

The  great  door  was  suddenly  opened.  Mingled 
voices  and  a  merry  laugh  were  heard.  Blennerhassett 
and  his  wife  rose  to  their  feet  and  stood  in  an  expectant 
attitude.  The  door  was  flung  wide  open  and  Theodosia 
entered  leaning  upon  the  arm  of  a  young  man,  followed 
closely  by  her  father. 

"  My  husband,  Mrs.  Blennerhassett,  Mr.  Blenner 
hassett,"  said  Theodosia. 

"  I  am  glad,  Mr.  Alston,"  remarked  Mrs.  Blenner 
hassett,  "  that  you  find  your  wife  in  such  good  health 
and  spirits.  This  morning  she  was  so  indisposed  that 
I  sent  to  Marietta  for  a  physician." 

"  Yes,  a  Doctor  Hosack,"  said  Mr.  Alston.  "  I  met 
him  on  the  way.  A  gentleman  named  Clarke  volun 
teered  this  morning  to  visit  Mr.  Blennerhassett  and  see 
if  Colonel  Burr  were  here.  Soon  after  his  departure, 
my  impatience  overcame  me  and,  learning  the  road  was 
a  good  one,  I  started  on  my  horse,  expecting  to 
meet  him  on  his  return.  Instead,  I  met  the  doctor, 
and  asked  if  I  was  on  the  right  road;  he  said  he  was 
on  his  way  back  from  Mrs.  Blennerhassett's  and  that 
Mrs.  Alston  was  ill,  and  so  I  came  on  here  at  a  swift 
gallop." 

'  The  road  to  Marietta  is  a  good  one,"  said  Mrs. 
Blennerhassett.     "  Many  a  time  have  I  made  the  trip 


A  DREAM  OF  EMPIRE        213 

to  and  fro  of  an  afternoon  for  business  or  pleasure. 
We  have  half  a  dozen  fine  saddle  horses.  What  do 
you  say,  Colonel  Burr,  to  a  horseback  ride  to  the  wilder 
ness  at  the  other  end  of  the  island?  It  will  give  us  a 
splendid  appetite  for  dinner  and  complete  Mrs.  Alston's 
cure." 

Colonel  Burr  bowed :  "I  will  follow  your  lead, 
Madam,  to  the  river's  brink." 

"  I  often  ride  into  the  river,"  replied  Mrs.  Blenner- 
hassett.  Burr  made  another  courtly  bow :  "  Then  I 
will  follow  you  to  the  bottom  of  the  river,  if  you  will 
but  lead." 

Mr.  Alston  inquired  if  Mr.  Blennerhassett  would 
accompany  them.  "  Why,  certainly,"  said  Theodosia, 
"  we  could  not  think  of  deserting  our  host." 

"  Don't  mind  me,"  exclaimed  Blennerhassett,  "  I 
never  ride  horseback.  Ransome  is  always  my  driver. 
Besides,  I  have  so  much  t~  do  in  the  laboratory  that  I 
am  in  no  danger  of  suffering  from  ennui." 

Mr.  Alston  said :  "  As  we  have  no  word  in  the 
English  language  for  ennui,  Americans  certainly  should 
not  suffer  from  it." 

"  No,"  cried  Burr,  "  but  a  Frenchman  said  ennui  in 
France  was  synonymous  with  existence  in  England, 
and  so  the  English  did  not  need  any  such  word." 
Laughing  heartily,  the  little  party  left  the  room  to  make 
preparations  for  their  ride. 

After  their  departure,  Blennerhassett  sat  for  a  while 
with  an  abstracted  look  upon  his  face.  Whether  his 
thoughts  were  pleasant  or  otherwise  could  not  have 
been  divined  from  his  expression.  Whatever  the}' 
were,  they  were  broken  in  upon  by  the  sudden  entrance 
of  Ransome. 

"  Massa  Blennerhassett !  " 

Blennerhassett  looked  up,  gazed  at  Ransome  for  a 
moment,  and  then  said,  "  Yes,  Ransome,  what  do  you 
want  ?  " 


214  BLENNERHASSETT 

"  A  man  wants  to  see  you,  Massa  Blennerhassett,  a 
sailor  man." 

"  Well,  show  him  in,"  said  the  master,  rising  as  he 
spoke. 

Ransome  approached  him  and,  in  a  low  voice,  said: 
"  He  says  he  wants  to  speak  to  you  very  private,  and 
no  one  in  the  house  mus'  know  he  is  here  an'  when  he 
goes." 

"  Have  my  wife  and  the  others  gone  to  ride?  "  Mr. 
Blennerhassett  asked. 

"  Yes,  sah,  they  have  all  gone,  and  Missus  took 
Philander  with  her  to  cut  down  the  underbrush." 

"  The  coast  is  clear  then,"  said  Blennerhassett  to 
himself.  To  Ransome,  "  Tell  him  to  come  in,  Ran 
some." 

The  servant  went  to  do  his  bidding.  "  Who  can  he 
be?  Some  old  river  boatman  who  wants  assistance, 
but  why  so  much  secrecy  and  mystery?  I  will  not  see 
him  but  will  send  some  money  to  him  by  Ransome. 
"  Ransome !  Ransome ! !  "  he  called,  in  a  loud  voice, 
and  had  hardly  ceased  when  the  door  opened  and  Ran 
some  ushered  in  the  old  sailor,  as  he  had  called  him. 

"  Here,  sah,  here's  the  man." 

The  old  sailor  looked  at  Ransome  and  waved  his 
hand  in  a  way  to  indicate  that  his  presence  was  not  de 
sired. 

Mr.  Blennerhassett  turned  towards  the  man  who  was 
dressed  in  the  costume  of  a  river  boatman.  He  was 
old  and  grizzled  and  had  evidently  been  long  in  the 
business.  The  owner  of  the  great  house  often  had  de 
mands  made  upon  him  for  assistance,  for  the  story  of 
his  wealth  had  been  widely  spread  and,  in  the  minds 
of  the  simple  country  folk,  his  modest  competency  had 
been  swelled  to  a  fabulous  amount. 

"  My  good  man,  what  can  I  do  for  you  ?  How  much 
money  do  you  want?  " 

The  sailor  approached  Mr.  Blennerhassett,  with  one 


A  DREAM  OF  EMPIRE        215 

finger  of  his  right  hand  uplifted,  and,  in  a  low  whisper, 
asked : 

"Say,  Cap'n,  are  we  alone?  No  danger  of  being 
rung  up  for  a  storm,  eh?  " 

Blennerhassett  started  back  and  regarded  his  visitor 
with  a  dignified  air.  "  I  cannot  imagine  any  reason 
for  your  visit  unless  for  assistance,  and  no  reason  what 
ever  for  so  much  precaution,  so  much  mystery.  Who 
are  you  ?  " 

"  In  the  first  place,"  said  the  man,  "  I  am  not  a 
sailor."  As  he  spoke,  he  removed  the  false  whiskers 
which  had  covered  his  face,  and  took  off  the  old  griz 
zled  wig.  Blennerhassett  looked  at  him  in  astonish 
ment.  The  man  continued :  "  In  the  second  place,  my 
name  is  Graham,  John  Graham;  I  am  a  special  agent 
of  the  United  States  government  on  secret  ser 
vice." 

The  man's  statement  of  his  official  position  quickly 
recalled  Blennerhassett' s  scattered  senses,  and  he  asked, 
"  What  is  the  nature  of  that  special  service  ?  " 

The  man  looked  at  Blennerhassett  and  smiled.  "  I 
have  my  suspicions  that  it  will  not  be  necessary  for  me 
to  explain  the  nature  of  my  visit  here." 

Blennerhassett,  with  a  more  severe  manner  than  he 
had  before  assumed,  addressed  his  visitor.  '  Your 
innuendo  under  certain  circumstances  might  be  insult 
ing.  As  I  do  not  know  the  nature  of  your  suspicions, 
nor  to  what  knowledge  of  mine  you  so  vaguely  refer,  I 
will  give  you  an  opportunity  for  further  explanation. 
Be  seated,  sir." 

The  man  walked  towards  the  farther  end  of  the  long 
room,  followed  by  Blennerhassett  who,  although  un 
able  to  understand  his  visitor's  strange  actions,  yet  had 
sufficient  curiosity  to  wish  to  know  the  object  of  his 
visit.  Graham  finally  selected  a  seat  upon  a  divan, 
the  back  of  which  was  towards  the  great  door,  while 
Blennerhassett  sat  in  a  chair  facing  him. 


2 1 6  BLENNERHASSETT 

"  Pardon  me,  sir,"  said  Graham,  leaning  back  in  his 
luxurious  seat,  "  but  we  detectives  always  go  upon  the 
supposition  that  our  clue  is  a  good  one  and  our  sus 
picions  sure  to  be  proved  correct." 

"  Your  last  remark  is  more  unsatisfactory  than  your 
first,"  said  Blennerhassett ;  "  What  have  I  to  do  with 
detectives  ?  " 

Graham  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "  You  have  a  vis 
itor,  a  certain  Mr.  Burr." 

"  My  visitor,"  rejoined  Blennerhassett,  "  is  Colonel 
Aaron  Burr,  ex-Vice-President  of  the  United  States." 

"  Exactly,"  said  Graham,  "  there  can  be  no  mis 
take  about  the  man.  He  is  the  man;  he  is  the  Mr. 
Burr  I  mean.  Excuse  a  leading  question,  but  what 
answer  have  you  given  to  his  request  that  you  join 
him  in  his  treasonable  plot?  " 

Blennerhassett  jumped  to  his  feet  and  cried,  excit 
edly,  "  Treasonable  plot  ?  Sir,  your  imagination  has 
run  away  with  your  senses.  He  has  mentioned  no 
treasonable  plot  to  me." 

Graham  said  to  himself,  "  I  am  too  early."  Then 
aloud :  "  Pray  be  seated,  Mr.  Blennerhassett.  Then 
he  has  broached  no  scheme  of  conspiracy  to  you  as  yet," 
and  he  strongly  emphasized  the  last  two  words. 

Blennerhassett  again  sank  into  his  chair.  Then  an 
idea  seemed  to  strike  him.  He  looked  at  Graham  and 
said,  "  Where  are  your  proofs  that  you  are  what  you 
say  you  are  ?  " 

"  That  is  a  question  you  should  have  asked  in  the 
first  place,"  remarked  Graham.  "  I  am  prepared  to 
answer  your  inquiry."  He  placed  a  paper  in  Blenner- 
hassett's  hands  and,  unfolding  another,  held  it  up  for 
his  inspection.  "  The  document  in  your  hand,"  he  con 
tinued,  "  speaks  for  itself;  and  here,"  as  he  said  this  he 
held  the  outstretched  document  close  to  Blennerhassett's 
eyes,  for  it  occurred  to  him  that  he  had  heard  it  said 
that  the  gentleman  was  very  nearsighted,  "  is  my  com- 


A  DREAM  OF  EMPIRE        217 

mission,  signed  by  Thomas  Jefferson,  the  President  of 
the  United  States." 

Blennerhassett  examined  the  papers  carefully,  then 
he  said:  "  They  seem  to  be  conclusive.  Sir,  1  am  an 
Irishman  by  birth,  and,  as  such,  I  have  become  used 
to  plots  and  government  emissaries.  I  had  hoped 
that  my  adopted  country  would  have  no  use  for  these 
instruments  of  despotism.  I  am  sorry  to  learn  that  the 
government  of  a  free  country  is  obliged  to  employ  spies 
to  track  the  footsteps  of  those  with  whom  it  differs 
politically.  Plain  talk  now,  after  we  have  exchanged 
these  mutual  compliments,  can  do  no  harm.  What  are 
your  suspicions  as  regards  myself  ?  " 

Blennerhassett's  remarks  did  not  seem  to  disturb 
Graham's  equanimity.  He  replied,  "  To  speak  plainly, 
then,  sir,  my  suspicion  is  that  you  are  aiding  and  abet 
ting  this  Colonel  Burr  in  a  scheme  calculated  to  disturb 
the  peace  of  the  country." 

Blennerhassett  sprang  to  his  feet  again  and  spoke 
more  excitedly  than  before:  "  False!  sir,  false  in  every 
respect!  I  am  the  last  man  in  the  world  who  would 
disturb  the  peace  or  impair  the  prosperity  of  the  United 
States.  Weary  of  political  strife  in  my  native  land,  I 
have  sought,  and  found,  an  asylum  in  America,  and  I 
can  never  violate  its  tranquillity.  I  have  no  doubt  your 
charges  against  Colonel  Burr  are  as  weak  as  your  sus 
picions  of  myself  have  proved  to  be." 

Graham's  manner  was  still  unruffled,  as  he  re 
plied, 

"  And  yet,  Colonel  Burr  is  known  by  the  government 
to  have  come  West  to  ascertain  the  sentiments  of  the 
people  of  the  Western  States  upon  the  subject  of  a 
separation  from  the  Atlantic  States." 

"  Impossible !  "  cried  Blennerhassett,  "  the  union  of 
these  States,  cemented  by  the  blood  of  its  patriots,  can 
never  be  broken  at  the  will  of  any  State  that  has  pledged 
itself  to  obey  the  constitution.  It  is  like  a  marriage 


2i  8  BLENNERHASSETT 

in  the  sight  of  God,  which  man  has  no  right  to  put 
asunder." 

While  Blennerhassett  had  been  speaking,  Graham 
had  quietly  resumed  and  carefully  adjusted  his  dis 
guise.  He  arose  from  the  divan  as  he  remarked,  "True 
and  patriotic  words,  Mr.  Blennerhassett.  Would  that 
all  Americans  thought  so  and  that  none  would  ever 
think  otherwise.  Then  you  have  no  information  to 
give  the  government  in  this  matter?  " 

Blennerhassett  answered  him  spiritedly,  "  None 
whatever,  sir!  Colonel  Burr  has  never  mentioned  the 
subject  to  me;  but,  if  he  does,  I  will  answer  him  as  I 
have  you,  and,  in  addition,  inform  the  President  of  his 
treason  at  the  earliest  moment." 

Graham  bowed:  "  The  President,  sir,  shall  be  in 
formed  of  your  patriotic  feelings  and  intentions.  Allow 
me,  sir,  to  thank  you  for  your  courtesy  and  to — " 

"  Good  morning,  sir,"  said  Blennerhassett,  with 
asperity.  He  pointed  towards  the  door  at  the  farther 
end  of  the  room,  and  approached  it,  closely  followed 
by  Graham.  Blennerhassett  opened  the  door  and  said, 
''  You  can  leave  the  house  through  this  room.  There 
is  a  door  leading  on  to  the  lawn,  and  you  can  make 
your  exit  without  meeting  my  guests.  I  hear  their 
voices.  They  have  returned  from  their  ride." 

"  Thank  you,  sir,  for  your  foresight,"  said  Graham. 
He  entered  the  small  room  quickly  and  closed  the  door 
behind  him.  Blennerhassett  walked  towards  the  other 
end  of  the  room  just  in  time  to  meet  his  wife,  Theo- 
dosia,  Colonel  Burr,  and  Mr.  Alston,  as  they  entered. 

"  No  need  to  ask  us,  Harman,"  cried  Mrs.  Blenner 
hassett,  "  yes,  we  have  had  a  splendid  time." 

"  Your  wife  is  a  break-neck  rider,  Mr.  Blenner 
hassett,"  remarked  Colonel  Burr,  "  and  easily  dis 
tanced  me,  old  soldier  that  I  am." 

"  She  made  me  think  of  an  English  hussar  charging 
the  enemy,"  cried  Theodosia. 


A  DREAM  OF  EMPIRE        219 

Mr.  Alston  turned  to  Mr.  Blennerhassett,  "  Had  the 
English  brought  such  riders  as  your  wife  with  them, 
we  should  still  be  subjects  of  King  George." 

Mrs.  Blennerhassett  made  a  beautiful  picture  as  she 
stood  there,  in  her  becoming  riding-costume;  the  long 
ostrich  plumes  fell  over  the  edge  of  her  wide-brimmed 
hat;  her  cheeks  red  with  excitement,  while  she  nerv 
ously  tapped  the  folds  of  her  habit  with  her  whip. 
She  made  a  low  courtesy,  "  Your  flattery,  gentlemen,  is 
highly  appreciated.  To-morrow  we  will  have  a  twenty- 
mile  gallop  and  see  if  our  horsemanship  is  as  reliable 
as  it  is  brilliant." 

"  That  is  so,"  remarked  Burr,  "  the  forced  march  is 
oftentimes  a  greater  achievement  than  the  brilliant 
charge." 

"  Now,"  said  Mrs.  Blennerhassett,  "  we  will  sit  down 
and  discuss  Colonel  Burr's  proposition  while  the  subject 
is  on  our  minds.  Oh,  Harman,  Colonel  Burr  has  ex 
plained  his  scheme  to  us  all,  and  we  all  agree  with  him 
that  it  is  a  brilliant  idea,  a  realization  of  the  dreams  of 
the  poets  and  the  hopes  of  philosophers." 

Colonel  Burr  saw  his  opportunity :  "  Yes,  and  who 
knows  but  that  our  model  State  may  become  the  real 
Utopia  in  which  the  true,  the  beautiful,  and  the  good 
may  govern  our  relations;  that  Mr.  Blennerhassett 
may  become  the  conservator  of  our  liberties,  with  Mr. 
Alston  and  myself  to  aid  him,  respectively,  in  the  arts  of 
diplomacy  and  war;  that  his  lovely  wife  may  grace  the 
position  of  first  lady  in  the  land,  while  my  daughter  and 
Kate — where  is  Kate? — act  as  her  maids  of  honor." 

"  You  have  outlined  the  picture,  my  dear  Colonel," 
cried  Blennerhassett,  with  enthusiasm ;  "  I  would  have 
a  State  in  which  science  and  art  would  so  absorb  our 
time  and  interest  our  minds  that  politics  and  diplomacy, 
intrigue  and  war,  would  naturally  fall  into  disfavor 
and  disuse.  The  duties  of  life  should  become  pleasures; 
these  pleasures,  patriotic  duties,  A  land  in  which  those 


220  BLENNERHASSETT 

above  would  always  endeavor  to  lift  to  a  higher  level 
those  who  were  below.  To  secure  such  a  Paradise  on 
earth  as  that,  I  would  give  my  labors,  my  fortune,  and 
my  life." 

"  All  this  is  possible,  Mr.  Blennerhassett,"  said  Burr; 
"  yes,  sure  of  accomplishment,  if  you  and  a  few  others 
endowed  with  wealth  and  education  will  be  the  pio 
neers.  But  there  must  be  one  who  will  be  the  first,  then 
others  will  follow  his  lead." 

As  Burr  ceased  speaking,  Blennerhassett  drew  him 
self  up  to  his  full  height.  The  subject  had  been  so 
interesting,  that  for  a  moment  he  seemed  transformed ; 
he  looked  at  his  auditors  and  said  in  clear,  ringing 
tones:  "  Then  I  will  be  that  first;  if  mine  the  greater 
risk,  then  mine  the  greater  joy,  if  success  crowns  our 
efforts !  Colonel  Burr,  you  can  rely  upon  the  word  of 
Harman  Blennerhassett." 

Colonel  Burr  approached  Blennerhassett  with  ex 
tended  hand,  "  I  do,  and  will ! "  he  cried.  They 
clasped  hands.  As  these  two  men,  whose  lives  and  fates 
were  to  be  so  closely  linked  together  in  the  future, 
sealed  their  compact,  their  three  witnesses  looked  on 
with  interest  and  apprehension. 

Once  more  the  great  door  was  thrown  back  upon  its 
hinges  and  Kate  rushed  into  the  room,  closely  followed 
by  Frederic.  Burr  released  Blennerhassett's  hand  and 
turned  to  meet  his  protege. 

"  Here's  my  little  girl  back  again,"  said  he,  in  his 
most  winning  manner,"  she  has  made  it  up  with  her 
lover  and  now  she  comes  for  her  father's  blessing.  You 
have  it,"  he  added,  as  Kate  grasped  his  hands  and  fell 
upon  her  knees  at  his  feet. 

"  No,  no!  "  cried  Kate,  springing  to  her  feet  again, 
"  not  that.  He  is  as  bitter  against  you  as  ever  and 
called  you  names  that  I  should  not  dare  to  repeat  be 
fore  you." 

Frederic  sprang  forward  and  grasped  Kate's  hand. 


"THIS  is  YOUR  ANSWER!" 


A  DREAM  OF  EMPIRE        221 

"  For  the  last  time,  I  ask  you,  Kate  will  you  forsake 
that  man  forever  ?  " 

Kate  tore  her  hand  from  his  grasp  and  rushing  to 
Burr  threw  herself  into  his  arms.  Then,  turning  to 
Frederic,  she  said,  proudly, 

"  This  is  your  answer !  " 


CHAPTER  XIX 

"  ALL  THE  MEN  AND  WOMEN  MERELY  PLAYERS  " 

A  MONTH  had  passed  by  and  Colonel  Burr  and 
his  companions  were  still  the  guests  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Blennerhassett.  The  days  and  even 
ings  had  been  passed  in  devising  plans  and  in  arguments 
and  speculations  connected  therewith.  The  great  table 
in  the  library  was  covered  with  books  and  papers. 
Maps  had  been  consulted,  authorities  referred  to,  and 
sheets  of  paper  had  been  covered  with  long  columns 
of  figures.  But,  if  there  were  marked  indications  of  a 
busy  time  in  the  library,  in  other  parts  of  the  house, 
and  outside  of  it,  the  signs  were  still  more  significant. 

The  big  raft  had  been  poled  across  the  stream  and 
was  now  moored  near  the  little  landing.  The  services 
of  Walters  and  the  negro  boy,  Bob,  were  now  required 
in  other  directions  than  that  of  boatmen. 

In  one  of  the  secluded  glades  that  Burr  had  noticed 
in  his  first  jaunt  through  the  island,  a  little  cabin  had 
been  erected,  and  in  it  one  of  the  new  recruits  was 
busily  engaged  in  casting  bullets  for  the  muskets  and 
rifles  which,  securely  packed,  were  hidden  in  the  natural 
cave,  the  location  of  which  had  been  observed  by  Burr. 
In  some  of  the  outbuildings,  Blennerhassett's  servants 
were  busily  engaged  in  parching  grain  and  putting  it 
into  boxes  and  barrels  for  transportation — no  one  knew 
whither.  Kegs  of  powder  and  a  number  of  swords, 
together  with  cartridge-belts,  bullet-pouches,  powder- 
horns,  and  other  military  accoutrements,  had  arrived 
upon  the  island,  usually  by  night,  and  had  been  con- 


MERELT  PLATERS  223 

cealed  in  the  capacious  storehouses.  Blennerhassett  had 
contracted  for  the  building  of  a  flotilla  of  bateaux. 
These  were  to  be  of  quite  large  size,  each  capable  of 
carrying  sixty  men  with  their  provisions  and  military 
trappings. 

At  some  of  the  conferences,  Blennerhassett,  his  wife, 
and  Colonel  Burr  were  present;  but  the  usual  procedure 
was  for  Colonel  Burr  to  advance  his  propositions  to 
Mrs.  Blennerhassett,  by  whom  they  were  first  con 
sidered;  then  she  presented  them  to  her  husband  who 
rarely  failed  to  finally  coincide  with  her  judgment  of 
what  was  best  to  be  done. 

One  day,  when  the  three  were  together  in  the  library, 
Blennerhassett  looked  up  and,  with  an  appearance 
of  jocularity  which  he  rarely  assumed,  propounded  the 
important  question,  "  What  shall  we  call  this  new  do 
main  of  ours?  " 

"  Judging  from  the  amount  of  labor  it  has  required 
and  is  likely  to  call  for  in  the  future,"  said  Burr,  "  I 
should  think  Workland  would  be  the  best  name  for  it." 

"  If  our  plans  work  out  as  we  have  designed  them," 
Blennerhassett  remarked,  "  and  everybody  is  obliged  to 
do  his  or  her  part  of  the  work,  no  drones  being  allowed 
in  our  Utopia,  there  will  be  so  much  time  left  for  recrea 
tion  and  amusement  that  I  think  Playland  more  appro 
priate." 

"  The  names  suggested  by  you  gentlemen,"  said  Mrs. 
Blennerhassett,  "  are  both  good,  but  there  is  a  much 
better  one."  Burr  looked  at  her,  inquiringly :  "  Home 
land,"  she  replied,  in  response  to  the  interrogative 
glance. 

"  Capital !  "  cried  Burr,  "  what  nobler  title  than  King 
of  Homeland." 

"  I  think  there  is  one  that  is  nobler,"  remarked  Mrs. 
Blennerhassett. 

"What  is  it?  "asked  Burr. 

The  lady  smiled :    "  Queen  of  Homeland." 


224  BLENNERHASSETT 

Burr  arose  and  made  one  of  his  courtly  bows.  "  My 
dear  Mrs.  Blennerhassett,  you  already  possess  that 
title." 

"  I  hope  the  sword  and  gun  will  not  be  needed  in 
Homeland,"  said  Mr.  Blennerhassett. 

"  Only  to  repel  invaders  envious  of  our  happiness  and 
prosperity,"  remarked  Burr.  But  he  was  not  thinking 
of  a  pastoral  country  full  of  hard-working  but  con 
tented  farmers.  In  his  mind  was  a  picture  of  a  domain 
with  a  throne,  and  a  king,  and  an  army.  "  Only  to 
repel  invaders,"  fell  from  his  lips  again,  as  he  com 
pleted  his  mental  picture. 

The  evenings  were  devoted  to  literature,  art,  and 
music.  The  latest  books  were  discussed  and  recent 
achievements  in  painting  and  sculpture  were  considered. 
Then  Blennerhassett  brought  out  his  violin  and  'cello 
and  greatly  pleased  his  listeners  with  his  artistic  rendi 
tion  of  music  of  a  high  order.  Between  the  musical 
numbers  Mrs.  Blennerhassett  recited  poetical  selec 
tions,  and  the  gatherings  were  greatly  enjoyed  by 
all. 

"  Harman,"  said  his  wife,  one  evening",  "  we  must 
treat  our  friends  here  to  a  session  of  the  Shakespearean 
Club.  I  suppose  you  all  like  Shakespeare  ?  "  she  quer 
ied,  turning  to  her  guests. 

"  He  is  the  king  of  poets !  "  exclaimed  Burr. 

"  I  love  him  best,"  remarked  Theodosia,  "  because 
he  understood  the  heart  of  woman.  He  may  have  cre 
ated  wicked  ones,  but  never  a  vain  or  a  foolish  one." 

An  evening  was  then  fixed  upon  for  the  meeting, 
and  Mrs.  Blennerhassett  sent  neatly-worded  and  hand 
somely-written  invitations  to  a  dozen  ladies  and  gen 
tlemen  who  lived  in  Marietta,  or  in  the  adjoining  coun 
try,  Doctor  Johnson  and  Doctor  Hosack  being  among 
the  number. 

At  last  the  time  appointed  came,  and  the  guests  were 
all  assembled  in  the  drawing-room  which  was  bril- 


MERELY  PLATERS  225 

liantly  lighted  and  beautifully  decorated  with  flowers 
and  vines.  Mrs.  Blennerhassett  was,  naturally,  the  in 
spiration  and  guiding  spirit  of  the  occasion.  Address 
ing  the  assemblage,  she  said : 

"  Our  little  club  has  no  constitution  or  officers. 
Like  the  Russian  editor  who  prints  a  newspaper  only 
when  he  can  get  paper  and  ink  and  news  together  at 
the  same  time,  we  meet  only  when  the  spirit  moves  us. 
We  call  our  little  entertainment  the  Session  of  the 
Shakespearean  Club.  Our  motto  is — All  the  World's  a 
Stage." — As  she  said  this,  she  turned  to  the  company 
and  cried,  "  Who  can  finish  the  quotation?  " 

Several  voices  repeated  the  balance,  but  Burr's  clear- 
cut,  incisive  tones  were  heard  above  the  rest :  "  All  the 
men  and  women  merely  players." 

Theodosia  looked  up  with  an  animated  countenance 
and  said :  "  The  words  of  the  melancholy  Jacques 
in—" 

But  before  she  could  complete  her  remark  Kate  called 
out,  "  As  You  Like  It,"  and  the  whole  company  burst 
into  laughter. 

"  If  there  is  no  objection,"  continued  Mrs.  Blenner 
hassett,  "  I  will  assume  my  usual  role  of  stage  man 
ager."  This  declaration  was  received  with  signs  of  ap 
probation.  "  The  first  selection,"  said  the  Mistress  of 
Ceremonies,  "  will  be  a  scene  from  the  '  Merchant  of 
Venice.'  We  do  not  give  it  intact,  but  read  only  cer 
tain  portions  which  show  its  intent  and  purpose."  She 
then  passed  the  written  parts  to  the  readers.  "  Colonel 
Burr,"  she  said,  "  I  have  cast  for  Shylock;  my  husband 
for  Antonio;  Doctor  Hosack  as  the  Duke,  while  I  will 
endeavor  to  render  the  lines  allotted  to  Portia." 

Thus  designated,  the  readers  took  their  places  in  the 
centre  of  the  room,  while  the  faces  of  the  auditors 
evinced  very  deep  interest  in  the  coming  dramatic 
scene. 

As  Portia  delivered  the  closing  words,  she  closed  her 


226  BLENNERHASSETT 

book,  and  the  readers,  forming  in  line,  bowed  their 
acknowledgments  of  the  plaudits  of  the  company. 

A  call  was  then  made  for  a  violin  solo  by  Mr.  Blen- 
nerhassett,  to  which  request  he  obligingly  responded, 
adding,  for  an  encore,  an  exquisite  little  air  upon  the 
'cello. 

The  Mistress  of  Ceremonies  again  took  the  floor. 
"  This  time,"  she  said,  "  we  will  leave  the  mimic  stage 
entirely  to  the  gentlemen.  I  will  not  tell  you  what  play 
the  scene  is  from,  but  give  you  all  a  chance  to  recognize 
and  name  it.  I  will  only  tell  you  that  it  is  the  second 
scene  in  the  third  act  of  the  play.  Mrs.  Blennerhassett 
passed  one  of  the  written  parts  to  Colonel  Burr  and  the 
other  to  her  husband.  She  took  her  seat  beside  Theo- 
dosia  and  lovingly  placed  one  of  her  arms  about  her. 
The  readers  began : 

Burr,  as  Cromwell: 

"O,   my  lord, 

Must  I  then  leave  you?     Must  I  needs  forego 
So  good,  so  noble,  and  so  true  a  master? 
Bear  witness,  all  that  have  not  hearts  of  iron, 
With  what  a  sorrow  Cromwell  leaves  his  lord. — 
The  king  shall  have  my  service ;  but  my  prayers 
Forever,  and  forever,  shall  be  yours." 

There  was  a  slight  pause ;  a  dozen  voices  cried  out, 
"Henry  the  Eighth!" 

Blennerhassett,  as  Wolsey: 

Cromwell,  I  did  not  think  to  shed  a  tear 

In  all  my  miseries ;  but  thou  hast  forced  me 

Out  of  thy  honest  truth  to  play  the  woman. 

Let's  dry  our  eyes:  and  thus  far  hear  me,  Cromwell; 

And — when  I  am  forgotten,  as  I  shall  be ; 

And  sleep  in  dull  cold  marble,  where  no  mention 

Of  me  more  must  be  heard  of — say,  I  taught  thee, 

Say,  Wolsey — that  once  trod  the  ways  of  glory, 

And  sounded  all  the  depths  and  shoals  of  honor — 

Found  thee  a  way,  out  of  his  wreck,  to  rise  in ; 

A  sure  and  safe  one,  though  thy  master  miss'd  it. 


MERELT  PLATERS  227 

Mark  but  my  fall,  and  that  that  ruin'd  me. 

Cromwell,  I  charge  thee,  fling  away  ambition ; 

By  that  sin  fell  the  angels;  how  can  man  then, 

The  image  of  his  Maker,  hope  to  win  by  't? 

Love  thyself  last;  cherish  those  hearts  that  hate  thee; 

Corruption  wins  not  more  than  honesty. 

Still  in  thy  right  hand  carry  gentle  peace, 

To  silence  envious  tongues.     Be  just,  and  fear  not; 

Let  all  the  ends  thou  aim'st  at  be  thy  country's, 

Thy  God's,  and  truth's ;  then,  if  thou  fall'st,  O  Cromwell, 

Thou  fall'st  a  blessed  martyr.     Serve  the  king, 

And, — Pr'ythee  lead  me  in  : 

There  take  an  inventory  of  all  I  have, 

To  the  last  penny :  'tis  the  king's :  my  robe, 

And  my  integrity  to  heaven,  is  all 

I  dare  now  call  mine  own.     O  Cromwell,  Cromwell, 

Had  I  but  serv'd  my  God  with  half  the  zeal 

I  serv'd  my  king,  he  would  not  in  mine  age 

Have  left  me  naked  to  mine  enemies. 
Cromwell: 

Good  sir,  have  patience. 
Wolsey: 

So  I  have.     Farewell 

The  hopes  of  court !  my  hopes  in  heaven  do  dwell." 

Blennerhassett  astonished  Burr  and  the  other  stran 
gers  to  this  form  of  entertainment  by  the  earnestness 
and  force  with  which  he  delivered  the  celebrated  speech 
of  the  great  cardinal,  and  the  dramatic  truth  and  power 
of  his  reading  were  greatly  appreciated  and  loudly  ap 
plauded. 

Refreshments  were  then  served.  Tea  and  coffee  in 
dainty  little  china  cups;  wines  of  half  a  dozen  varieties 
in  delicate,  fragile  glasses;  appetizing  cakes  and  fruits 
of  various  kinds.  Then  the  conversation  ran  wild; 
comments  upon  the  readings  and  the  readers;  discus 
sions  of  the  real  meaning  of  this  or  that  line  or  word 
of  the  text.  The  never  to  be  silenced  query,  was  there 
really  a  William  Shakespeare,  was  debated  pro  and  con. 
Then  the  Mistress  of  Ceremonies  rang  her  little  bell  and 


228  BLENNERHASSETT 

announced  that  the  entertainment  would  close  with  a 
scene  from  the  tragedy  of  "  Macbeth."  Quiet  was  at 
once  restored  and  all  waited  anxiously  for  what  was  to 
be  the  crowning  event  of  the  evening.  The  Mistress  of 
Ceremonies  once  more  passed  around  the  written  books. 
To  Colonel  Burr,  she  assigned  the  part  of  Macbeth; 
to  her  husband,  that  of  King  Duncan;  to  Mr.  Alston, 
that  of  Banquo,  she  assuming  the  character  of  Lady 
Macbeth,  while  the  minor  characters  enlisted  the  ser 
vices  of  nearly  every  one  in  the  company  with  the  ex 
ception  of  Theodosia,  who  firmly  but  politely  refused 
to  take  part  in  the  reading. 

The  scene  first  represented  was  the  arrival  of  King 
Duncan  at  Macbeth's  castle;  then  followed  Macbeth's 
profuse  welcome  to  his  sovereign.  Omitting  minor 
matters,  the  next  scene  disclosed  the  plot  designed  by 
Lady  Macbeth  for  the  fulfilment  of  which  her  cow 
ardly-minded  and  weak-kneed  husband  was  to  be  the 
instrument.  Next  followed  the  murder  scene  and  the 
exciting  dialogue  between  the  two  murderers — one  an 
assassin  in  thought,  the  other  in  deed.  The  selection 
from  the  tragedy  closed  with  the  sleep-walking  scene 
which  was  rendered  in  a  superb  manner  by  Mrs.  Blen- 
nerhassett  who  rose  to  the  full  requirements  of  the 
character.  In  the  course  of  it,  however,  a  most  un 
toward  incident  occurred  which  robbed  the  talented 
reader  of  the  climax  of  her  scene,  and  caused  the  com 
pany  to  break  up  in  a  most  unexpected  manner. 

As  Mrs.  Blennerhassett,  in  her  role  of  Lady  Macbeth, 
spoke  the  line,  "  Yet  who  would  have  thought  the  old 
man  to  have  had  so  much  blood  in  him?  "  one  of  the 
guests,  a  young  girl,  unthinkingly  turned  to  Theodosia, 
by  whose  side  she  was  sitting,  and  said :  "  She  might 
have  expected  it;  all  Scotchmen  are  full-blooded  you 
know." 

From  this  speech,  which  was  entirely  unexpected, 
Theodosia  shrank  and  gave  a  shriek  of  horror  which  at- 


.     MERELY'  PLATERS  229 

tracted  the  attention  of  every  person  in  the  room.  The 
readers  dropped  their  books  and  Burr,  Kate,  and  Mrs. 
Blennerhassett  ran  towards  the  excited  young  woman 
who  seemed  to  be  suffering  from  hysteria.  The  con 
tinual  references  to  ambition,  blood,  and  murder,  to 
which  she  had  listened  during  the  evening,  had  been  too 
much  for  her  sensitive  organization,  and  she  had  given 
way  under  the  pressure  of  her  overwrought  feelings. 

Theodosia  was  taken  at  once  to  her  room  and  pro 
fessional  assistance  was  rendered  by  the  two  physicians 
who  were  present. 

The  next  morning  a  conversation  took  place  between 
Burr  and  his  son-in-law,  at  the  close  of  which  both  had 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  it  would  be  best  for  Theo 
dosia  and  her  boy  to  return  home  at  once  to  South  Caro 
lina,  on  which  journey,  of  course,  it  would  be  neces 
sary  for  her  husband  to  accompany  her.  It  was  recog 
nized  by  both  of  them  that  although,  to  the  casual  ob 
server,  these  were  the  piping  times  of  peace,  the  in 
tuitive  knowledge  and  penetration  of  Theodosia  had 
discerned  behind  them  the  omens  of  strife. 

Soon  after  the  conclusion  was  arrived  at  that  the 
Alstons  were  to  return  home,  Doctor  Hosack  called  to 
make  inquiries  in  regard  to  his  patient  of  the  previous 
evening.  Upon  learning  of  the  intended  speedy  return 
to  the  East,  he  said  that  his  trip  to  the  West  had  reached 
its  termination,  and  he  had  intended  to  journey  towards 
his  home  in  New  York  City  in  a  few  days.  He  re 
marked  to  Mr.  Alston  that  if  his  presence  would  not  be 
considered  obtrusive,  he  should  be  glad  to  accompany 
their  party.  Mr.  Alston  assured  him  that  his  presence 
would  be  a  welcome  addition;  for,  if  his  wife  should 
have  another  attack,  he  would  be  of  invaluable  service 
to  them.  So  the  matter  was  thus  arranged. 

Mrs.  Blennerhassett  opposed  the  return  both  by  argu 
ment  and  entreaty.  She  said  there  was  no  more  health 
ful  place  in  the  world  than  their  island  home,  and  that 


230  BLENNERHASSETT 

Mrs.  Alston  would  soon  recover  from  her  indisposi 
tion.  But,  as  she  did  not  know  the  real  objections  to 
the  further  stay  of  Theodosia,  she  was,  of  course,  unable 
to  combat  them  understandingly,  and  both  arguments 
and  entreaties  were  of  no  avail.  She,  however,  carried 
her  point  in  one  particular.  She  persisted  that  it  was 
unkind  to  leave  her  alone  after  she  had  enjoyed  herself 
so  much  in  the  company  of  members  of  her  own  sex, — 
to  deprive  her  of  them  both  at  one  fell  swoop.  She 
insisted  that  Kate  should  remain  with  her,  and,  as  the 
young  girl  had  no  real  home,  after  a  talk  with  her  fos 
ter-father,  it  was  decided  that  she  should  remain. 

Preparations  were  made  during  the  day  for  the  de 
parture  for  Marietta  where  the  stage  was  to  be  taken  at 
ten  o'clock  the  next  morning.  Doctor  Hosack  arrived 
at  the  island  two  hours  before  that  time,  for  he  wished 
to  be  sure  that  his  patient  was  in  proper  condition  to 
undertake  the  journey.  Burr  had  learned  of  the  doc 
tor's  change  in  his  plans  so  as  to  form  one  of  the  party. 
As  the  doctor  entered  the  drawing-room,  Burr  rose  to 
greet  him,  exclaiming, 

"  Doctor,  you  have  won  my  lasting  gratitude.  My 
daughter's  life  is  dearer  to  me  than  my  own;  but  yet, 
in  such  a  case  as  this,  how  powerless  is  a  father's 
love." 

Friendly  relations  had  been  re-established  between 
Burr  and  Doctor  Hosack.  It  was  not  a  remembrance  of 
the  duel  that  had  caused  the  latter  to  show  an  indisposi 
tion  to  meet  Colonel  Burr  when  he  first  learned  of  his 
presence  on  Blennerhassett  Island,  but  rather  the 
rumors  of  what  reached  his  ears  regarding  the  relations 
supposed  to  exist  between  Burr  and  Miss  Embleton. 
When  he  learned  the  true  facts  of  the  case  and  saw  that 
the  stories  which  had  been  circulated  were  only  part 
and  parcel  of  that  malignity  which  certain  persons  had 
always  evinced  towards  Aaron  Burr,  his  reticence  van 
ished  and  former  friendly  relations  were  resumed. 


MERELT  PLATERS  231 

Another  kind  offer  of  assistance  was  to  be  made  to 
the  little  party  which  was  to  start  upon  its  travels 
within  a  couple  of  hours.  Turning  to  Burr,  Blenner- 
hassett  said : 

"  My  man,  Ransome,  had  better  go  with  you  to 
Marietta, — and  farther,"  he  continued  as  he  turned  to 
Mr.  Alston,  "  if  you  desire.  If  you  wish,  you  can  take 
him  home  with  you.  He  is  a  good  traveler  and  we 
have  plenty  of  servants  and  to  spare." 

Burr  remarked :  "  He  would  be  of  great  service, 
Alston." 

Blennerhassett  said  quickly,  "  Then  he  goes — that  is 
settled." 

Mr.  Alston  was  evidently  greatly  pleased  by  this  act 
of  courtesy  on  the  part  of  his  host.  "  I  will  not  refuse 
your  great  kindness,  but  I  must  say  more  than  one  word 
to  thank  you  for  your — " 

Burr  finished  the  speech :  "  As  I  shall  remain  here 
after  you  are  gone,  I  will  keep  on  thanking  him.  But 
you  and  the  doctor  ought  to  prepare  for  your  journey  at 
once." 

"  We  will,"  said  Alston,  and,  taking  the  doctor's  arm, 
they  both  left  the  room. 

At  this  moment,  Ransome  entered  to  make  some 
inquiry  in  regard  to  the  baggage. 

"  Come  here,  you  rascal !  "  cried  his  master. 

"Yes,  Massa." 

"  Ransome,  I  am  going  to  send  you  away." 

"  Good  Lor'  don't,  Massa.  I'll  be  a  good  nigger. 
Don't  send  poor  Ransome  away.  How'll  you  ever  shoot 
birds  or  catch  fish  or — " 

"  If  I  don't  have  you  to  do  it  for  me,"  laughed 
Blennerhassett.  "  I  don't  know;  I  think  it  will  be 
necessary  to  buy  my  game." 

Burr,  who  had  been  looking  at  a  book  that  lay  upon 
a  table  near  by,  at  this  remark,  turned  and  said  quickly : 

"  Learn  to  do  that,  Mr.  Blennerhassett,  and  I  will 


232  BLENNERHASSETT 

soon  make  a  politician — no,  I  mean  a  statesman  of  you. 
The  kind  marksman  sells  both  game  and  the  credit  of 
shooting  it — for  cash." 

Blennerhassett  replied  somewhat  sternly :  "  So 
much  the  worse  then  for  honest  sport — and  the  country 
of  the  politician — I  mean  statesman." 

During  this  colloquy  which,  in  his  present  excited 
condition,  was  above  poor  Ransome's  comprehension, 
but  which  he  feared  had  some  connection  with  his  im 
pending  fate,  he  had  fallen  upon  his  knees  at  his  mas 
ter's  feet  and  looked  up  with  an  imploring  expression 
upon  his  face.  Blennerhassett's  features  relaxed  as  he 
saw  the  up-turned  visage. 

"  Get  up,  Ransome,  get  up."  As  he  said  this,  he 
took  his  old  retainer  by  the  arm  and  assisted  him  to  his 
feet.  "  I  am  not  going  to  send  you  to  South  Carolina 
because  you  are  a  bad  nigger,  but  because  you  are  a 
good  one." 

Ransome's  face  brightened.  "  Did  you  say  Souf 
Car'lina,  Massa?  " 

"  Yes,  South  Carolina.  You  are  going  home  with 
Mrs.  Alston  and  her  husband.  Are  you  sorry  you  are 
going?" 

Ransome  was  too  politic  to  express  unlimited  ap 
proval  of  the  idea,  so  he  said :  "  Sorry  for  some,  'cause 
I  don't  want  to  leave  you  and  the  Missus  and  the  chil- 
lern-and  glad  for  some,  'cause  my  ole,  ole,  mammy 
lives  down  in  Souf  Car'lina." 

'  You  shall  go  and  see  her,"  cried  his  master. 
"  Colonel  Burr,  tell  your  son-in-law  that  Ransome  is 
to  see  his  old  mother  before  he  returns.  Here  is 
money." 

Burr  advanced  with  his  hand  raised  deprecatingly. 
"  No,  I  will  pay  that,  or  my  son  will — no  refusal." 

Blennerhassett  counted  out  some  money  from  his 
purse  and  placed  it  in  Ransome's  hand.  Burr  re 
marked  :  :'  You  are  as  obstinate  a  man  as  myself.  I 


MERELY  PLATERS  233 

must  see  if  I  can  be  of  any  service  to  my  daughter." 
As  he  said  this,  he  left  the  room. 

On  Ransome's  face,  a  broad  smile  had  taken  the 
place  of  the  look  of  fear  that  had  appeared  in  it  when 
his  master  first  addressed  him.  "  Bless  you  Massa,  and 
my  ole  mammy  will  bless  you,  too.  Good-bye,  Massa." 

"  Don't  stop  to  say  good-bye  now,  Ransome,  but  go 
and  get  ready  for  your  journey." 

As  is  usual  on  such  occasions,  farewells  and  good 
byes  and  hand-shakings  were  indulged  in  to  profusion, 
and  hearty  and  sincere  wishes  for  a  safe  and  prosperous 
journey  were  extended  to  the  travelers.  The  partings 
between  Theodosia  and  Mrs.  Blennerhassett,  and  Theo- 
dosia  and  her  friend  Kate,  were  tender  and  womanly; 
but  out  of  regard  for  Theodosia's  nervous  condition, 
the  leave-takings  were  made  as  short  as  possible.  But 
there  was  one  final  interview  yet  to  come,  the  length  of 
which  was  to  be  determined  by  herself,  and  not  by  her 
companion.  This  interview  was  with  her  father  and 
took  place  in  the  great  drawing-room  which,  as  if  by 
common  understanding  and  consent,  had  been  left  to 
them  for  their  sole  occupancy  about  half  an  hour  be 
fore  the  contemplated  departure. 

"  Father,"  said  Theodosia,  "  I  cannot  leave  you, 
when  our  next  meeting  is  so  uncertain,  without  say 
ing  something  that  I  have  upon  my  mind.  You  have 
told  me  part  of  your  plans  and  schemes.  To  my  un 
derstanding,  they  have  seemed  good  and  proper,  and  I* 
have  approved  them;  but  you  must  pardon  me,  father, 
if  I  say  that  I  think  you  have  other  designs  which  you 
have  not  confided  to  me,  and  which,  perhaps,  from  my 
point  of  view,  would  not  commend  themselves  to  my 
judgment.  I  do  not  wish  to  force  your  confidence, 
dear  father;  in  fact,  in  the  condition  in  which  I  now 
am,  it  were  better  that  you  should  tell  me  no  more  than 
I  already  know." 

Burr  nodded  his  head.    Theodosia  continued :   "  You 


234  BLENNERHASSETT 

remember  the  other  night,  father,  when  I  was  so  over 
come?  "  Here,  Burr  nodded  again.  "  I  cannot  explain 
to  you,"  said  his  daughter,  "  how  I  suffered  on  that 
occasion.  During  that  scene  from  the  '  Merchant  of 
Venice/  when  you  knelt  there  sharpening  the  knife  upon 
your  shoe,  and  glaring  at  poor  Mr.  Blennerhassett, 
the  reality  of  the  scene  so  affected  me  that  I  could  have 
screamed  with  horror  as  I  have  often  done  when  I  have 
awakened  from  a  nightmare1." 

Burr  smiled  but  said,  tenderly :  "  I  am  afraid,  my 
dear  Theodosia,  that  you  fell  asleep  and  dreamed  part 
of  what  you  have  told  me.  I  am  sure  I  have  no  designs 
upon  poor  Mr.  Blennerhassett,  as  you  call  him." 

"  I  know  what  you  mean,"  cried  Theodosia.  "  Of 
course  you  have  no  designs  upon  his  life;  I  do  not 
mean  that;  but  I  know  as  well  as  you  do  that  his  wife 
is  an  ambitious  woman,  that  she  listens  eagerly  to  your 
plans  and  then  as  eagerly  presents  them  to  her  husband. 
He,  poor  man,  having  little  mind  of  his  own,  follows 
the  road  that  she  marks  out  for  him.  I  can  imagine, 
although  no  one  has  told  me,  that  he  is  going  to  invest 
money  in  your  schemes.  Suppose  that  money  is  lost? 
Money,  you  know,  is  the  next  thing  to  blood,  and  by 
some  people  it  is  considered  to  be  of  even  greater  value ; 
for  they  will  shed  blood  to  obtain  it.  You  are  good 
friends  now,  father,  but  if  that  money  is  lost,  these  same 
good  friends  may  become  your  bitter  enemies  in  the 
•future;  and  God  knows  you  have  too  many  of  those  to 
wish  to  add  to  their  number." 

Burr  may  have  winced  internally  but  his  face  ex 
pressed  neither  approval  of,  nor  resentment  for  his 
daughter's  plain  speaking.  But  she  was  not  through. 

"  How  I  wish,  dear  father,  you  would  follow  the  ad 
vice  given  to  you,  as  Cromwell,  by  Mr.  Blennerhassett 
as  Cardinal  Wolsey.  He  charged  you  to  fling  away  am 
bition.  Would  that  I  could  add  my  words  so  strongly 
to  those  of  the  great  Cardinal  that  you  would  fling  it 


MERELY  PLATERS  235 

away,  dear  father,  and  come  home  to  live  with  us  in 
South  Carolina." 

Here  Burr  evinced  the  first  signs  of  disapprobation 
that  he  had  manifested. 

"  No,"  he  cried,  "  I  do  not  propose  to  commit  sui 
cide  by  living  near  those  cursed  rice  swamps.  They  will 
yet  be  the  death  of  you  and  your  child." 

Theodosia  had  become  greatly  excited  during  the 
interview,  and  this  reference  to  the  possible  death  of  her 
child  brought  on  another  nervous  attack.  "  Death !  " 
she  cried,  "  Yes,  it  is  always  death !  Don't  you  re 
member  in  the  play  the  other  night  where  the  wicked 
Macbeth  killed  the  good  King  Duncan?  Don't  you 
remember  when  Lady  Macbeth  was  trying  to  remove 
the  signs  of  blood  from  her  han<is  that  she  said  who 
would  have  thought  that  the  old  man  had  so  much  blood 
in  him?  Then  a  lady  who  sat  beside  me  leaned  over 
and  said :  '  That  is  because  he  was  a  Scotchman,  and 
Scotchmen  are  always  full-blooded.'  Oh !  father,  when 
she  uttered  those  words  you  can  imagine  the  picture 
that  came  to  my  mind !  " 

During  this  long  interview,  Burr  had  uttered  but 
few  words,  and  made  but  few  signs  either  of  assent  or 
disapproval.  He  seemed  to  recognize  that  the  nervous 
condition  of  his  daughter  was  responsible  for  her  lan 
guage.  He  took  her  gently  in  his  arms  and  pressed  a 
kiss  upon  her  forehead. 

"  You  will  forget  all  this,  my  dear  one,"  he  said, 
"  when  you  are  back  home  and  you  and  little  Gamp  re 
sume  your  studies.  You  will  hear  from  me  often,  and 
it  will  not  be  very  long  before  I  shall  come  to  you  or 
send  for  you  to  come  to  me  again." 

The  door  opened  and  Mr.  Alston  entered,  accom 
panied  by  little  Gamp.  The  time  had  come  for  their 
departure.  Turning  to  his  son-in-law,  Burr  said : 

"  Theodosia  and  I  have  been  discussing  Shakespeare. 
If  I  were  to  speak  in  a  manner  as  much  like  that  of  the 


236  BLENNERHASSETT 

great  poet  as  it  is  possible  for  me  to  do,  I  should  say : 
Take  her  to  her  home,  Joseph,  for  in  these  surroundings 
she  is  much  affected  by  idle  fancies  and  fantastic 
phantoms.  Do  not  take  her  '  •>  the  rice  swamps,  Joseph, 
for  it  is  to  the  pestilential  miasma  which  arises  there 
from  that  are  due  the  pains  from  which  she  suffers. 
No,  Joseph,  take  her  instead  to  the  high  hills  where  she 
can  breathe  the  pure  air  that  blows  from  the  tall  trees 
and  the  higher  mountains  beyond.  There  will  she 
learn  calm  philosophy,  and  sturdy  thought  will  take  the 
place  of  boding  fancies  and  vain  imaginings."  Re 
suming  his  ordinary  manner,  he  said :  "  Cheer  up, 
Theodosia !  when  next  we  meet  you  will  find  that  kind 
Fate  has  marked  me  for  her  favors,  and  that  I  am 
bending  low  beneath  the  blessings  showered  upon  me." 

For  a  few  moments  at  least,  this  very  hopeful,  very 
sanguine  man  implanted  trust  and  confidence  in  the 
bosom  of  his  child.  She  smiled  brightly;  her  eye  was 
full  of  fire;  her  voice  betrayed  no  tones  of  sorrow  or 
regret;  and  no  one  would  have  thought  that  the  fare 
well  words  spoken  were  for  more  than  a  brief  period. 

Theodosia  did  not  see  her  father  again  until  he  stood 
before  the  bar  of  justice  at  Richmond  on  trial  for  his 
life,  charged  with  conspiracy  and  high  treason. 


CHAPTER  XX 

AN    EAVESDROPPER 

PHILANDER,  the  head  man  at  the  stables,  had 
been  promoted  to  Ransome's  place.  He  was  a 
young  negro  and  had  not  had  the  opportunity 
to  acquire,  either  by  age  or  experience,  that  politic  man 
ner  which  had  been  so  marked  a  characteristic  of  the  old 
retainer.  Neither  did  he  possess  that  oily,  unctuous 
chuckle  which  had  usually  preceded  Ransome's  entrance 
and  accompanied  his  departure  from  the  society  of  his 
superiors. 

Philander  seldom  laughed  and  rarely  smiled,  his 
countenance  preserving  almost  uniformly  a  staid  and 
sober  demeanor.  This  was  in  marked  contrast  to  his 
uncertain  and  often  ungrammatical  language.  He  had 
formed  an  unjust  criterion  for  determining  the  social 
condition  of  visitors  to  the  island,  his  judgment  being 
based  upon  the  cut  and  quality  of  their  clothing.  Many 
a  heated  debate  had  taken  place  at  the  stables  between 
him  and  the  boys,  in  which  he  strongly  maintained 
that  a  gentleman  could  always  be  known  by  his  clothes. 

About  an  hour  after  the  departure  of  his  guests  east 
ward,  Mr.  Blennerhassett  sat  in  his  library  contemplat 
ing  a  map  of  Louisiana  which  was  spread  out  upon 
the  table  before  him.  A  dozen  or  more  pins,  their 
heads  capped  with  red  or  black  sealing-wax,  had  been 
stuck  in  different  portions  of  the  map.  Mr.  Blenner 
hassett  was  measuring  the  distance  between  these  pins 
with  a  pair  of  calipers,  and  then  ascertaining  the  num 
ber  of  miles  represented  by  resorting  to  a  scale  which 
was  printed  at  the  bottom  of  the  map. 

237 


238  BLENNERHASSETT 

While  thus  engaged,  Philander  entered  the  library. 
"  Dar's  a  pusson  out  dar  who  tole  me  he  wants  ter 
see  yo'." 

"  Show  the  gentleman  in,"  said  his  master,  without 
looking  up  from  his  work. 

Philander  hesitated.  "  He  ain't  no  gen'leman,  Massa 
Blennerhassett,  he's  only  a  pusson.  His  clo'es  is  ole 
and  dirty.  I  reckon  he  is  only  a  boatman  out  of  a  job." 

"  Did  he  give  his  name?  "  asked  his  master,  looking 
up. 

"  No,  sah,  he  said  he'd  been  here  afore.  He  tole  me 
yo'd  know  him." 

The  thought  immediately  flashed  through  Blenner- 
hassett's  mind  that  the  spy,  with  whom  he  had  had  an 
interview,  had  come  back  again — but  for  what  pur 
pose? 

"  You  may  show  the  person  in,"  he  said  finally,  con 
forming  unthinkingly  to  Philander's  phraseology. 
"  Wait  a  moment,"  he  cried,  before  Philander  reached 
the  door.  "  Has  Colonel  Burr  returned  to  the  house  ?  " 

"  No,  sah;  he  informed  me  confidenshally  that  he 
were  goin'  to  ride  half  way  to  Marietta,  but  he  tole  me 
he  would  be  back  ter  dinnah." 

The  next  question  threw  Philander  off  his  guard: 
"  Did  Colonel  Burr  give  you  any  money?  " 

'  Yes,  sah,  a  triful." 

"  How  much  ?  "  asked  his  master,  sternly. 

"  A  dollar,  sah." 

"  Well,  Philander,"  said  Mr.  Blennerhassett,  "  if  you 
take  money  again  from  any  of  my  guests  for  services 
rendered  them,  for  which  services  I  compensate  you  in 
many  ways,  I  shall  have  a  talk  with  Marmaduke." 

'  Yes,  sah,"  said  Philander,  bowing  and  leaving  the 
room  hastily. 

'  That  was  foolish  in  me,"  soliloquized  Blenner 
hassett,  "  he  will  take  the  money  just  the  same  in  the 
future,  but  he  will  never  own  up  again  to  having  re- 


AN  EAVESDROPPER  239 

ceived  any.  How  easy  it  is  for  a  good  man  to  make 
other  men  liars." 

As  Philander  opened  the  door  of  the  library  to  admit 
the  new  comer,  the  latter  turned  to  him  and  said 
sharply :  "  My  colored  friend,  don't  be  too  particular 

about  showing  me  the  way I've  been  here  before." 

When  Philander  had  closed  the  door,  the  visitor  spoke, 
in  his  natural  tone  of  voice,  to  Blennerhassett :  "  Do 
you  recognize  me,  sir  ?  " 

Blennerhassett  replied :  "  I  have  a  good  memory, 
sir,  but  I  did  not  know  until  the  other  day  that  the 
government  of  the  United  States  used  detectives  in 
disguise  to  do  its  bidding." 

"  That  is  because,"  said  Graham,  for  it  was  he, 
"  detectives  seldom  disclose  their  identity  to  suspected 
parties." 

Blennerhassett  who  had  remained  seated  up  to  this 
time,  arose  from  his  chair  and  said  in  an  excited  man 
ner  :  "  Sir !  What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

Graham  replied,  coolly :  "  But  in  your  case,  as  you 
are  not  a  suspected  party,  I  throw  off  my  disguise." 

Blennerhassett  inquired,  his  ire  still  rising,  "  If  I 
am  not  a  suspected  party,  why  come  here  at  all  ?  " 

Graham  advanced  until  he  reached  the  end  of  the 
table.  Then  he  raised  his  right  hand,  and  pointing  with 
his  forefinger  at  Blennerhassett  said,  dramatically : 
"  Because  there  is  a  dark  and  portentous  storm-cloud 
gathering  in  the  horizon  which  will  burst  in  the  near 
future  and  cause  sad  fatalities  within  that  unsuspecting 
circle — your  home.  The  government  sends  me  not  to 
suspect  you,  but  to  warn  you !  " 

At  this  point,  Blennerhassett's  natural  politeness  as 
serted  itself.  He  motioned  his  visitor  to  a  chair  not 
far  removed  from  his  own,  which  he  resumed.  "  Were 
I  really  in  danger  of  being  innocently  drawn  into  a 
questionable  proceeding,  this  solicitude  of  the  govern 
ment  would  be  paternal,  friendly,  and  worthy  of  my 


240  BLENNERHASSETT 

deepest  gratitude.  Such  not  being  the  case,  I  have  no 
such  feelings  of  gratitude.  I  will  admit  that  I  have 
united  with  Colonel  Burr  in  a  plan  for  colonizing  and 
improving  a  large  tract  of  country,  and  Colonel  Burr 
has  already  paid  a  Kentucky  gentleman  forty  thousand 
dollars  for  it." 

Graham  now  propounded  an  inquiry :  "  And 
what  reason  does  Burr  give  for  buying  this  land?  Is 
he  going  to  found  an  empire?  " 

"  Yes,"  was  the  reply. 

"This  is  a  confession,"  said  Graham  to  himself; 
then  aloud:  "  So  Burr  has  spoken  of  his  designs?  " 

Blennerhassett  felt  impelled  to  make  some  explana 
tion.  "  Colonel  Burr  and  myself  have  a  design  in  com 
mon;  to  found  an  empire  of  sturdy  yeomanry — willing 
emigrants  from  oppression  in  Europe.  We  shall  sell 
this  land  in  hundred  acre  lots  for  farms." 

At  this,  Graham  remarked,  in  a  satirical  tone :  "  And 
you  two  gentlemen  propose  to  govern  this  country 
within  a  country  ?  " 

Blennerhassett  replied:  "  No,  not  that  entirely;  we 
hope  to  make  a  million  dollars  by  the  scheme." 

"And  this,  you  think,  is  all?"  asked  Graham,  still 
retaining  the  satirical  tone  which  he  had  assumed. 

Blennerhassett  arose  and  said  in  a  stern  but  digni 
fied  manner :  "  It  is  all — of  my  plans,  of  my  admis 
sions — and  of  our  interview.  Do  you  know  the  way 
out,  sir?" 

Graham  bowed :  "  Thank  you,  yes."  Then  he  said 
to  himself,  "  and  the  way  in  again." 

As  Graham  placed  his  finger  upon  the  door-latch  he 
turned  to  Blennerhassett :  "  I  can  take  a  hint,  sir." 

Blennerhassett  threw  himself  into  his  armchair,  ap 
parently  weary  of  the  interview,  and  resumed  his  con 
sideration  of  the  map  before  him.  As  Graham's  words 
fell  upon  his  ear  he  said,  without  looking  up :  "  Take 
it  then — and  your  departure  at  the  same  time,  sir." 


AN  EAVESDROPPER  241 

Graham  released  his  hold  upon  the  door-latch.  He 
advanced  a  few  steps  towards  Blennerhassett.  "  As 
you  say,  sir,  but  when  the  President  of  the  United 
States  instructs  me,  I  shall  make  bold  to  call  on  you 
again.  Good  morning,  sir."  The  door  closed  behind 
him. 

Blennerhassett  sat  for  a  few  moments  with  his  head 
resting  upon  his  hand,  evidently  in  deep  thought. 
Then  he  leaned  back  in  his  chair  and  said,  reflectively : 
"  Am  I  mistaken  in  this  man,  Burr  ?  I  think  not.  I 
wish  all  men  were  as  frank  and  honorable.  No!  such 
a  man  could  not  be  base — no  such  loving  father  could 
intentionally  bring  dishonor  on  such  a  daughter.  This 
suspicion  of  Burr  and  his  friends  is  but  part  of  a  sys 
tem  of  political  and  social  ostracism.  Perhaps  Presi 
dent  Jefferson,  successful  as  he  is,  is  yet  jealous  of  his 
defeated  rival,  and  hopes  to  crush  him  utterly.  If  that 
is  his  scheme,  he  will  find  that  a  Blennerhassett  will  not 
aid  him.  The  true  Irish  blood  always  boils  when  rulers 
plot  against  the  people !  " 

In  the  drawing-room,  another  interview  was  taking 
place,  the  participants  being  Mrs.  Blennerhassett  and 
Kate. 

"  What  a  tender-hearted,  loving  father  Colonel  Burr 
is,"  remarked  Mrs.  Blennerhassett.  "  I  was  really  glad 
that  he  decided  to  accompany  his  daughter  part  of  the 
way,  at  least  to  Marietta;  for  I  was  afraid  that  she 
would  break  down  utterly,  and  be  unable  to  undertake 
the  journey." 

"  Your  husband  is  tender-hearted,  too,"  rejoined  Kate. 
"  He  ran  out  of  the  house,  without  his  hat,  in  the  hot 
sun.  When  he  reached  the  landing,  the  boat  had  gone ; 
but  he  called  out  at  the  top  of  his  voice :  '  Good-bye, 
Ransome,  remember  me  to  your  good  old  mother.' 
As  we  walked  back  to  the  house  together,  he  explained 
to  me  that  he  had  neglected  to  say  good-bye  to  Ran 
some  when  the  party  started  off." 


242  BLENNERHASSETT 

"  When  two  persons  love  each  other  dearly,"  said  the 
married  lady,  "  both  are  apt  to  be  tender-hearted." 

"  I  am  afraid  I  am  not  tender-hearted,"  remarked 
Kate.  As  she  said  this,  she  averted  her  gaze. 

"  It  is  because  you  do  not  love  the  right  one  as 
dearly  as  you  ought." 

"Do  you  think  so,  Mrs.  Blennerhassett ?  Did  I  do 
wrong  in  being  true  to  my  benefactor?  " 

"  Not  wrong  in  being  true  to  him,"  said  Mrs.  Blen 
nerhassett,  slowly,  evidently  considering  the  subject  be 
fore  speaking,  "  not  wholly  right  in  not  being  true  to 
both.  You  are  both  self-willed  and  impetuous.  The 
feeling  that  divides  you  is  unworthy  of  both  of  you, 
and  no  one  would  like  to  see  you  happy  more  than  your 
benefactor.  You  made  the  scene  and  he  had  but  one 
course  to  pursue.  All  lovers'  quarrels  should  be  duels 
without  seconds — not  battles  with  spectators  on  the 
housetops." 

Kate  rose  and  looked  into  her  mentor's  face. 
"  Thank  you,  Mrs.  Blennerhassett.  I  wish  I  could  be 
as  happy  as  you  are.  I  will  go  to  my  room  and  think 
of  your  words — and  of — 

"Frederic?"  interrogated  Mrs.  Blennerhassett. 

"  And  of  Theodosia,"  Kate  replied,  calmly. 

When  she  was  alone,  Mrs.  Blennerhassett  solilo 
quized  :  "  A  proud  girl,  but,  I  think,  a  true  and  honest 
one.  I  will  yet  bring  Frederic  and  Kate  together." 

The  next  moment,  she  advanced  to  greet  her  husband 
and  Colonel  Burr  who  entered  arm  in  arm.  The  gen 
tlemen  stopped,  when  they  reached  Mrs.  Blennerhassett, 
and  faced  each  other. 

"  The  confidence  you  have  seen  fit  to  place  in  me," 
said  Colonel  Burr,  "  is  extremely  flattering.  It  seems 
that  there  has  been,  without  explanation,  a  sort  of  con 
sent  between  our  minds." 

The  lady  was  evidently  impressed  by  this  statement 
of  the  accord  existing  between  her  husband  and  their 


AN  EAVESDROPPER  243 

honored  guest.  "  I  agree  with  you,  Colonel  Burr.  You 
are  the  only  one  I  ever  saw  who  could  fully  appreciate 
my  husband,  and,  at  the  same  time,  fulfil  his  exacting 
ideal  of  what  a  friend  and  companion  should  be." 

Burr  bowed  low  before  the  beautiful  wife  of  his  host : 
"  To  hear  such  commendation  is  pleasant,  but  doubly 
so  when  your  voice  and  manner  show  equally  that  your 
husband's  choice  of  a  friend  is  not  repugnant  to  your 
self." 

"Repugnant?"  cried  Mrs.  Blennerhassett.  "I  am 
delighted  that  Harman  has  found  someone  who  dares 
to  tell  him  that  Blennerhassett  Island  is  not  the  world." 

Her  husband  rejoined :  "  I  wish  all  parts  of  the 
world  were  as  enjoyable  as  Blennerhassett  Island." 

"  So  do  I,"  said  Burr.  "  So  does  the  lazy  oriental 
prince  wish  always  to  be  surrounded  with  effeminate 
comforts.  Such  pleasure  is  merely  passive.  The  pur 
suit  of  personal  gratification  invariably  ends  in  selfish 
ness." 

Blennerhassett  saw  that  the  argument  was  against 
him.  "  Well,  to  please  you  both,  for  I  see  you  are  in 
league  against  me,  I  will  acknowledge  that  I  am  both 
lazy  and  selfish — and  that  I  can  live  happily  and  die 
peacefully  in  this  little  Paradise." 

"  But,"  cried  his  wife,  "  you  have  a  growing  family 
— they  will  soon  demand  advantages  which  others  can 
bestow  better  than  ourselves ;  and  with  increasing  outgo 
and  a  reduced  income  your  fortune  will  steadily  di 
minish." 

"  I  have  no  doubt,  Mr.  Blennerhassett,  that  your 
wife  states  the  case  just  as  it  is.  Pardon  me,  if  I  pre 
sume  when  I  say  I  think  you  are  deserving  of  a  higher 
sphere.  Your  talents  and  acquirements  seem  to  have 
destined  you  for  something  more  than  vegetable  life; 
and  since  the  first  hour  of  our  acquaintance  I  have  con 
sidered  your  seclusion  as  a  fraud  on  society." 

"  You    drew    your    picture,  Margaret,  in  too  dark 


244  BLENNERHASSETT 

colors,"  said  her  husband.  "  We  are  not  poor,  nor  in 
danger  of  becoming  so;  but  the  increased  expenses  you 
mentioned  may  swallow  the  interest  and  menace  the 
principal.  My  object  in  joining  Colonel  Burr  in  his 
land  scheme  is  to  increase  my  private  fortune,  but  to  do 
that  will  not  draw  me  from  my  home." 

Burr  felt  that  the  matter  should  not  be  pushed  for 
ward  too  strongly.  "  Not  at  first,  but  if  our  success 
equals  my  anticipations,  we  shall  need  your  presence; 
and  I  know  your  wife  will  be  filled  with  pleasure  when 
you  are  restored  to  the  social  and  active  world." 

As  Burr  had  anticipated,  the  concession  made  by  him 
caused  Blennerhassett  to  make  a  more  pronounced  dec 
laration  of  his  interest  in  their  contemplated  under 
taking.  "  For  Margaret's  sake,  and  that  of  our  dear 
children,  I  will  try  to  conquer  my  selfish  delight  in 
this — my  island  paradise.  Can  I  do  more  than  ask  to 
be  admitted  to  partnership  in  any  speculation  which 
may  present  itself  to  your  judgment  as  worthy  to  en 
gage  my  talents  ?  " 

"  Frankly  and  nobly  spoken,  sir,"  cried  Burr.  "  Let 
us  be  seated  while  I  unfold  to  you  both  a  scheme  which 
has  in  it  the  elements  of  wealth,  pleasure,  popularity, 
and  it  may  be,  in  time,  power."  When  his  suggestion 
had  been  complied  with,  Burr  continued :  "  The  sub 
ject  of  securing  land  in  the  Southwest  has  been  in  my 
mind  for  years.  This  purchase  from  Colonel  Charles 
Lynch  of  four  hundred  thousand  acres  lying  between 
the  Sabine  and  Nachitoches  Rivers  is  my  first  move 
towards  the  realization  of  my  projects.  I  have  paid 
down  five  thousand  dollars." 

Blenne.rhassett  broke  in,  impetuously :  "  I  will  be 
ready  with  my  part  at  the  time  appointed." 

At  this  point,  a  dramatic  situation  took  place,  much 
better  suited  to  the  mimic  stage  than  to  the  drawing- 
room  of  a  country  gentleman.  It  had  so  happened  that 
in  taking  their  seats  their  backs  were  turned  towards 


AN  EAVESDROPPER  245 

the  door  which  Blennerhassett  had  indicated  to  Graham, 
at  his  first  interview  with  him,  as  offering  the  readiest 
mode  of  egress  from  the  house. 

It  was  a  habit  of  Burr's,  when  talking  to  interested 
listeners,  to  so  place  himself  as  to  get  a  view  in  profile. 
He  had  learned  by  experience  that  when  you  look  in 
people's  faces  it  puts  them  on  their  guard,  and  to  their 
questioner  they  present  as  impassive  a  face  as  is  pos 
sible.  Burr  sat  at  the  right  hand  of  his  listeners. 
They  looked  directly  forward,  or  into  each  other's  faces, 
and  the  thoughts  and  feelings  that  affected  their  minds 
were  quickly  mirrored  in  their  countenances;  yet 
neither  fancied  they  were  under  the  keenest  ob 
servation. 

Graham,  at  a  safe  distance  from  the  house,  could  see 
the  interior  of  the  room.  His  quick  eye  had  discerned 
their  positions,  and  he  imagined  that  a  subject  of  more 
than  ordinary  importance  was  under  consideration.  He 
looked  around ;  none  of  the  servants  were  in  sight.  He 
quickly  entered  the  little  room  at  the  back  of  the  great 
drawing-room  and  approached  the  door  which  opened 
into  it.  Fortunately  for  him,  it  was  ajar.  Spies  always 
feel  warranted  in  adopting  underhand  measures  for 
securing  information,  and  many  an  important  secret 
has  been  learned  by  eavesdropping. 

"  This  land  purchase,"  cried  Burr,  raising  his  voice 
to  comport  with  the  magnitude  of  the  subject,  "  is  but 
a  commercial  enterprise,  but  it  may  lead  to  a  glorious 
military  adventure  in  which  I  wish  you  to  engage." 

Blennerhassett  jumped  to  his  feet  and  exclaimed,  ex 
citedly  :  "  Then  I  wash  my  hands  of  the  whole  affair, 
Colonel  Burr.  I  am  a  citizen  of  the  United  States  and 
I  will  never  bear  arms  except  in  its  defence,  obedient 
to  that  law  that  makes  it  a  pleasure  for  a  patriot  to  sac 
rifice  his  life  for  his  native  land." 

Burr  accepted  the  situation.  "  Give  me  your  hand !  " 
Blennerhassett  drew  back.  Burr  continued :  "  Rest  as- 


246  BLENNERHASSETT 

sured  that  I  will  never  ask  you  to  raise  your  hand 
against  others  than  enemies  of  our  country." 

The  thought  ran  through  Blennerhassett's  mind — 
perhaps  the  President  is  right  after  all.  Then  he  spoke, 
hesitatingly :  "  I  do  not  understand  you,  Colonel 
Burr." 

"  I  see  you  do  not,  and  it  is  my  fault.  Let  us  resume 
our  seats."  Assuming  a  most  mysterious  air,  with 
marked  intensity  of  speech,  Burr  said :  "  I  am  in  posi 
tion  to  know  some  official  secrets.  Among  them,  is  the 
probability  of  a  war  with  Spain."  This  remark  again 
stimulated  Blennerhassett  to  excited  speech : 

"If  the  United  States  declares  war  against  Spain  I 
am  willing  to  follow  you,  Colonel  Burr,  in  any(  legal  en 
terprise  for  the  subjugation  of  the  Spanish  dominion 
in  this  country — like  the  treatment  of  my  native  land, 
the  relics  of  an  abominable  and  heartless  tyranny." 

Burr  now  perceived  that  the  crucial  period  had  ar 
rived.  He  must  stake  all  now  and  win  or  lose.  But 
he  meant  to  win !  "  And  when  I  tell  you  that  my  plan 
is  to  wait  until  this  war  cloud  is  ready  to  burst — then 
enlist  recruits  in  the  West  from  among  the  purchasers 
of  our  lands — form  a  private  expedition  against  Mexico 
— conquer  it  with  its  untold  wealth,  and  then  lay  the 
prize  at  the  feet  of  a  grateful  country,  shall  we  fail  in 
obtaining  our  reward?  They  will  not  and  cannot  de 
prive  us  of  the  honest  glory  that  we  shall  win,"  Burr 
continued,  vehemently.  "  Yourself,  the  governor — I, 
your  trusted  friend — your  wife,  the  first  lady  in  the  land 
—my  daughter  and  Kate  at  her  side — can  you  look  on 
this  picture  of  life,  action,  heroic,  patriotic  accomplish 
ment  and  still  think  of  books  and  crucibles,  of  flowers 
and  music?  Are  there  any  sweeter  sounds  than  the 
trumpet's  clangor  and  cannon's  roar — when  the  trum 
pet  snouts  freedom  to  an  oppressed  people — the  cannon 
secures  their  liberties?  But  I  am  excited.  No  doubt 
my  words  will  terrify  your  wife  and  disturb  her  peace 


AN  EAVESDROPPER  247 

of  mind.  She  may  one  day  wish  that  I  had  never  en 
tered  your  happy  home." 

Mrs.  Blennerhassett  had  been  greatly  interested  in 
the  preceding  conversation.  She  could  restrain  her 
self  no  longer :  "  Do  not  forget,  Colonel  Burr,  that  my 
grandfather  was  a  soldier,  and  that  the  daughters  of 
England  are  as  brave  as  her  sons.  Your  words  make 
my  blood  thrill  in  my  veins,  but  Harman  is  as  cold  as 
stone." 

"  Oh  no,  Margaret,  I  am  excited,  but  I  don't  show  it 
by  words  or  looks.  I  am  thinking — and  that  reminds 
me  that  I  have  been  experimenting  in  my  laboratory  on 
a  new  explosive  compound  which  will  render  gunpowder 
useless  in  warfare.  Come  to  the  laboratory,  and,  while 
I  am  experimenting,  we  can  talk  over  this  scheme  of 
yours." 

As  they  arose,  Burr  remarked,  "  This  scheme  of  ours." 

Mrs.  Blennerhassett  joined  forces,  as  she  usually  did, 
with  their  guest :  "  Yes,  Harman,  this  scheme  of  ours." 

"  Well,"  remarked  Blennerhassett,  "  I  suppose,  as  we 
are  in  league  together,  we  must  call  it  this  scheme  of 
ours." 

The  trio  left  the  drawing-room  and  wended  their 
way  to  the  library.  This  had  been  their  usual  place  for 
consultation.  If  they  had  never  discussed  financial  and 
political  matters  except  within  its  secluded  precincts, 
the  portentous  clouds  referred  to  by  Graham  might 
not  have  gathered  over  the  Blennerhassett  household 
as  quickly  as  they  did.  The  spy,  by  eavesdropping, 
had  learned  what  he  most  wished  to  know.  He  left  the 
house,  cautiously,  by  the  side  door,  as  he  had  on  a  pre 
vious  occasion.  He  peered  right  and  left,  but,  again, 
there  was  no  one  in  sight.  He  walked  down  to  the 
water's  edge  where,  concealed  beneath  some  overhang 
ing  trees,  he  found  his  boat.  He  got  into  it,  and,  ply 
ing  his  oars  vigorously,  moved  swiftly  towards  the 
Ohio  shore  of  the  river. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

"  A  DIVIDED  DUTY  " 

WHILE  the  trio  of  land  speculators  and  possi 
ble  political  revolutionists  were  discussing 
Colonel  Burr's  Southwestern  scheme  in  the 
library,  and  while  John  Graham  was  rowing  swiftly  in 
the  direction  of  Marietta,  Captain  Frederic  Clarke,  at 
tired  in  the  uniform  of  the  Ohio  militia,  entered  the 
great  hall  of  the  Blennerhassett  mansion.     He  threw 
himself  into  one  of  the  leathern  armchairs. 

"  I  wonder  what  is  going  on.  I  am  detailed  to  await 
secret  orders,  and,  with  my  company,  have  spent  the 
day,  so  far,  on  the  other  side  of  the  river.  I  could  not 
resist  the  temptation  to  try  to  see  Kate  once  more.  I 
hear  that  two  gentlemen  and  a  lady  went  to  Marietta 
this  morning — one  was  Burr,  the  other  his  son-in-law, 
and  the  lady,  his  daughter.  Kate  must  be  alone  then. 
I  will  do  as  she  says.  What  can  it  matter,  after  all, 
what  I  think  or  say  of  Colonel  Burr  ?  Is  it  any  worse 
for  me  to  say  I  do  not  hate  Burr  when  I  do,  than  it  is 
for  me  to  say  I  don't  love  Kate  when  I  do  ?  " 

Kate  entered  the  room  from  the  rear  door.  Frederic 
was  effectually  concealed  from  sight,  for  the  chair  in 
which  he  sat  was  of  massive  proportions,  with  a  back 
reaching  far  above  his  head. 

The  ears  of  lovers  are  wonderfully  sensitive;  often, 
they  hear,  or  think  they  hear,  each  other's  voices  when 
the  distance  that  separates  them  renders  such  communi 
cation  not  only  improbable,  but  impossible.  Kate  seemed 
to  be  under  the  influence  of  a  delusion  of  this  nature. 

248 


"A  DIVIDED  DUTT"          249 

"  Frederic !  Frederic ! !  Why  how  foolish !  I  thought 
I  heard  his  voice.  And  if  I  did,  what  would  he  think 
of  me  if  he  heard  me  calling  his  name — so  tenderly  ?  " 

Frederic  sprang  from  the  great  armchair  and  ran  to 
the  lovely  girl,  the  true  feelings  of  whose  heart  had 
been  so  unintentionally  disclosed.  "  He  would  think 
just  what  he  does,  and  always  has — that  you  do  love 
him.  He  knows  and  confesses  that  he  loves  you,  and 
only  a  foolish  pride  and  useless  resentment  have  pre 
vented  him  from  saying  those  words  that  would  remove 
all  differences  and  bring  our  hearts  together  for  life." 

"  And  you  will  say  those  words  and  give  up  that  use 
less  resentment  ?  "  said  Kate,  archly.  "  If  you  will — 
do  not  say  too  much,  for  I  am  not  angry  now — and 
when  you  yield,  shall  I  be  less  kind,  less  yielding?" 
Then  she  thought,  "  I  wish  Mrs.  Blennerhassett  could 
hear  me." 

"  I  have  something  more  to  say  and  I  must  say  it," 
remarked  Frederic.  "  Let  me  say,  then,  I  am  still  op 
posed  to  Colonel  Burr,  politically.  We  differ  as  honest 
men  can  without  losing  our  respect  for  each  other.  For 
what  he  has  done  for  you,  and  others,  as  friend  and 
benefactor,  I  can  respect  and — " 

"  And  what?  "  cried  Kate,  going  to  him  and  placing 
her  hands  upon  his  shoulders  and  looking  up  into  his 
face. 

"  And  love  him !  There,  it's  out  at  last."  Frederic 
put  his  arms  about  the  young  girl  who  was  overjoyed 
at  this  sudden  and  unexpected  turn  of  affairs. 

"  This  moment  of  happiness  makes  up  for  so  many 
days  of  misery,  so  many  heartaches — oh,  Frederic !  " 
she  said,  as  she  buried  her  face  upon  his  shoulder. 

"  It  carries  me  back  to  that  beautiful  morning,"  he 
began. 

"  Don't !  don't  speak  of  that  morning,  Frederic.  Let 
us  begin  a  new  life  this  day  and  put  away  all  the  bitter 
past." 


250  BLENNERHASSETT 

"  Kate,  we  will." 

For  several  moments,  they  stood  in  perfect  content 
with  this  long-deferred  but  now  secure  happiness.  Sud 
denly,  they  heard  a  voice.  They  quickly  released  each 
other,  and,  turning,  faced  the  man  who  had  spoken. 
He  repeated  his  inquiry,  quickly  appreciating  the  fact 
that  what  he  had  said  had  not  been  heard. 

"  Do  I  address  Captain  Clarke?  " 

"  That  is  my  name,  sir,"  replied  Frederic.  "  Your 
business." 

"  Is  private,"  replied  the  man.  "  For  your  ear  alone 
— begging  the  lady's  pardon." 

"  Excuse  me  a  moment,"  said  Frederic. 

"  Under  the  circumstances,  you  are  most  excusable," 
the  man  replied. 

Frederic  accompanied  Kate  to  the  door  at  the  rear 
of  the  great  hall  through  which  she  had  entered  so 
short  a  time  before  with  a  seemingly  hopeless  love  in 
her  heart,  and  through  which  she  now  passed  with  that 
love  in  full  flower,  shedding  its  sweetness  upon  her  and 
upon  the  young  man  who  had  won  her  first  and  only 
love. 

'  You  will  come  to  me,  Frederic,"  she  asked  appeal- 
ingly,  "  as  soon  as  your  business  is  attended  to?  " 

"  At  once." 

"  And  are  you  sure,  Frederic,  that  you  can  greet  my 
foster-father  kindly  and  take  your  wife  with  his  bless- 
ing?" 

Frederic  answered  her  in  decided  tones :  "  No  word 
or  act  of  mine  shall  ever  tend  to  recall  past  differences 
or  make  new  ones  between  myself  and  Colonel  Burr, 
your  foster-father."  Her  hand  lingered  in  his  for  a 
moment — then  she  was  gone. 

He  returned  to  meet  the  man  who  was  awaiting  him. 
The  stranger  was  dressed  in  a  neatly-fitting  suit  of  blue 
broadcloth,  a  semi-military  costume.  He  held  a  cocked 
hat  in  his  hand  and  had  every  appearance  of  being  a 


"A  DIVIDED  DUTT"  251 

gentleman.  When  Frederic  stood  before  him,  he  said : 
"  Now,  sir,  I  am  at  your  service." 

"  Have  you  directions  from  your  superior  officer, 
Colonel  Phelps?" 

"  I  have,"  Frederic  replied.  "  They  are  to  obey  such 
orders  as  may  be  given  me  by  a  man  named— 

"  Graham,"  said  the  man,  "  that  was  the  name,  was 
it  not?" 

"  It  was." 

The  man  opened  a  paper  and  handed  it  to  Frederic. 
"  Are  you  satisfied  that  I  am  the  party?  " 

"  I  am,"  Frederic  replied,  laconically. 

"  What  do  you  consider  would  be  your  duty  if  I  gave 
you  an  order  to  arrest  two  persons  ?  "  inquired  Graham. 

"  My  duty  as  a  soldier  is  to  obey  orders  regardless  of 
personal  consequences."  Graham  nodded  his  head,  ap 
provingly. 

"And  you  will  do  it?" 

Frederic  resented  this  continued  questioning,  the  real 
purpose  of  which  he  could  not  understand. 

"  This  is  useless  trifling,  sir,  and  hints  at  an  imputa 
tion  that  any  honest  man  could  not  but  resent." 

Graham  bowed  and  said,  suavely :  "  Pardon  me,  but 
when  a  person  is  selected  to  carry  out  the  will  of  the 
President  of  the  United  States,  there  must  be  no  possible 
doubt  of  his  fitness." 

"  The  President?  "  cried  Frederic,  with  a  look  of  as 
tonishment. 

Graham  had  now  reached  the  point  at  which  he  had 
been  aiming.  "  Yes,  and  this  paper  empowers  you  to 
arrest  Aaron  Burr  for  conspiracy  and  high  treason,  and 
Harman  Blennerhassett  as  an  accomplice  and  acces 
sory." 

Frederic  started  back.  Like  lightning,  the  misery  of 
the  situation  flashed  upon  him.  Had  Fate  decreed  that 
there  should  forever  be  a  bar  between  him  and  the 
woman  he  loved  ?  Recovering  himself,  he  cried : 


252  BLENNERHASSETT 

"  No !   I  cannot  do  it— I  will  not !  " 

"  Why  not  ?  "  asked  Graham,  affecting  surprise. 

"  Because  I  cannot,"  cried  Frederic,  who  turned  his 
back  rudely  on  the  President's  representative. 

"  What  prevents  you,  a  soldier,  from  doing  your 
duty?"  asked  Graham  with  a  tinge  of  sarcasm  in  his 
tone. 

Frederic  turned  quickly  upon  his  questioner:  "  The 
sacred  tie  of  friendship — spare  me  this  blow,  Mr. 
Graham.  Anyone  else  can  serve  this  as  well  as  I. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Blennerhassett  are  my  dearest  friends 
and  as  innocent  as  you  or  I  of  such  a  crime." 

Graham's  tone  of  sarcasm  deepened :  "  Is  Colonel 
Burr  also  one  of  your  esteemed  friends  ?  " 

Frederic  cried,  impetuously :  "  He  has  been  my  great 
est  enemy — "  then  his  tone  changed — "  but  there  are 
reasons — " 

"  Personal  ones  ?  "  asked  Graham,  "  I  thought  an 
honest  soldier  spurned  such  trifles." 

"  Trifles !  "  cried  Frederic.  "  Oh,  my  God !  If  you 
only  knew." 

"  Tell  me,"  remarked  Graham,  sententiously. 

"  I  cannot.     It  is  too  sacred  a  trust." 

"  Tell  me,  or  do  your  duty,"  said  Graham,  sternly. 
"  Refuse  to  do  the  first,  and  you  must  serve  the  writ  of 
arrest.  Decide!  There  is  no  time  to  lose.  By  my 
orders,  which  your  Colonel  even  must  obey,  the  men  of 
your  command  are  now  landed  on  Blennerhassett  Is 
land.  They  are  secreted,  but  await  your  orders.  Your 
answer!  " 

Frederic  replied,  proudly,  "  I  will  not  tell  you  my 
reasons." 

'*  Come  then,"  cried  Graham,  "  order  your  men  here 
and  do  your  duty,  or  a  court  martial  will  bring  out  your 
cherished  secrets." 

Graham  turned  on  his  heel  and  strode  towards  the 
door.  Then  he  turned  and  beckoned  to  Frederic  to 


"A  DIVIDED  DUTT'  253 

follow  him.  The  latter  threw  one  agonized  glance 
towards  the  door,  where,  so  short  a  time  before,  he  had 
parted  from  Kate;  then  he  followed  Graham  out  of  the 
room. 

Kate,  whose  heart  was  full  of  her  new  happiness,  had 
sought  through  the  great  house  for  Mrs.  Blennerhassett, 
but  she  had  been  unable  to  find  her.  She  tried  the  door 
of  the  library  but  it  was  locked,  and  she  knew  that  there 
was  nothing  then  for  her  to  do  but  to  wait  until  her 
friend  came  out  of  her  own  accord;  so  she  went  back  to 
her  own  room  to  think  about  her  lover  and  to  cry  a 
little,  womanlike,  because  her  future  happiness  seemed 
assured. 

The  occupants  of  the  library,  having  finished  the 
present  consideration  of  the  momentous  subject  before 
them,  repaired  once  more  to  the  great  hall. 

"  I  knew  I  was  not  mistaken  in  you,  Mr.  Blenner 
hassett,"  said  Burr.  "  Pardon  my  presumption,  but  I 
have  assumed  from  the  first  that  you  would  join  me.  I 
have  done  much,  in  a  quiet  way,  since  I  have  been  under 
your  friendly  roof." 

"  You  have  not  had  time  to  do  a  great  deal  since  you 
bought  the  land,"  said  Mr.  Blennerhassett. 

"  Now  we  shall  know  the  secret  of  those  visits  to 
Marietta,"  his  wife  exclaimed. 

Burr  replied  :  "  Yes,  you  shall  know ;  it  is  your  right. 
While  you  have  been  making  contracts  for  boats  to 
carry  sturdy  settlers  to  our  new  domain,  I  have  been 
providing  for  the  military  part  of  the  enterprise.  I 
have  told  you,  and  it  is  true,  that  the  muskets  and  rifles 
and  powder  and  ball  and  food,  that  we  have  provided, 
will  be  needed  by  our  band  of  pioneers  for  immediate 
sustenance,  and  for  protection  against  the  jealous 
Spaniard  or  predatory  Indian;  but  you  will  see  now, 
if  you  have  not  realized  the  fact  before,  that  these  con 
comitants  of  warfare  may  be  used  for  aggressive  as  well 
as  defensive  purposes.  I  have  ordered  a  boat,  which 


254  BLENNERHASSETT 

will  be  a  palace,  for  yourself  and  Mrs.  Blennerhassett 
It  will  have  a  fireplace  and  glass  windows." 

"  That  will  be  delightful !  "  cried  Mrs.  Blennerhas 
sett.  "  I  always  loved  the  water." 

"  So  do  I,"  remarked  her  husband,  "  but  I  shall  miss 
Ransome  when  there  is  any  fishing  going  on." 

Burr  continued  the  elucidation  of  his  plans :  "  As 
soon  as  we  are  established,  Alston,  who  is  heart  and 
soul  with  me,  and  Theodosia  and  Gamp  will  join  us. 
Our  boats  will  hold  five  hundred  men.  I  shall  have  no 
lack  of  recruits.  Our  enterprise  is  to  be  a  peaceful  one 
until  the  United  States  declares  war  against  Spain. 
Then  we,  and  our  band  of  pioneers,  will  aid  the  Mexi 
cans  to  throw  off  the  Spanish  yoke.  We  will  form  a 
democratic  empire,  and  enrich  ourselves  until  our 
wealth  shall  put  to  shame  the  dreams  of  romance." 

Burr's  black  eyes  sparkled  with  unusual  brilliancy. 
For  the  moment,  he  seemed  intoxicated  with  enthusi 
asm.  Mrs.  Blennerhassett,  with  nervous  fingers, 
clutched  at  her  husband's  arm,  her  eyes  fixed  upon  Burr 
with  a  look  of  intense  admiration.  On  the  other  hand, 
Blennerhassett  appeared  somewhat  dazed  and  looked  as 
though  he  did  not  fully  comprehend  the  magnitude  of 
Burr's  schemes. 

Kate  looked  in  the  door  at  the  farther  end  of  the 
room.  In  a  clear  sprightly  tone,  she  called  out :  "  Do  I 
intrude?  " 

Mrs.  Blennerhassett  looked  towards  the  door  and 
saw  the  smiling  face  revealed  there.  "  Not  at  all — 
come  in — you  can  join  our  little  plot." 

Kate  approached  her  friends  with  quick  steps :  "  Are 
you  all  plotting  against  me?  I  came  to  ask  advice 
from  friends — not  to  encounter  enemies." 

The  illusion  was  dispelled,  and  Burr  and  Blenner 
hassett  were  once  more  in  a  world  of  realities.  "  My 
dear  Kate,"  said  Burr,  "  I  hope  you  will  never  meet 
worse  enemies  than  we  are." 


"A  DIVIDED  DUTY'  255 

"  I  know  I  can  never  find  truer  friends." 

Blennerhassett  seemed  slowly  to  grasp  the  situation. 
"  Ah !  I  understand.  I  imagined — of  course  I  didn't 
— I  imagined  that  I  saw  the  Captain  from  my  labora 
tory  window.  That  was  when  I  burned  my  finger 
with  the  sealing-wax,  my  dear." 

"  I  will  tell  the  truth,"  cried  Kate,  and,  as  she  spoke, 
a  deep  flush  suffused  her  cheeks  and  brow.  "  He  was 
here  and  he  said — " 

"What!"  cried  Burr,  "again?  That  makes  the 
third  time  he  has  proposed." 

"  But  it  was  the  first  time  he  ever  told  me  that  no 
word  or  act  of  his  would  ever  tend  to  recall  past  differ 
ences  or  make  new  ones  between  himself  and  Colonel 
Burr.  There,  I  think  I  have  said  it  almost  word  for 
word." 

Mrs.  Blennerhassett  caught  the  blushing  girl  in  her 
arms  and  kissed  her  repeatedly.  "  Let  me  congratu 
late  you,  Kate.  Frederic  is  a  noble  fellow." 

"  So  he  is,"  said  Blennerhassett,  now  thoroughly  in 
terested.  "  We  will  have  a  big  wedding  here  and  close 
with  a  dance;  and  then  the  guests  can  row  home  by 
moonlight  on  the  river." 

"Won't  it  be  lovely?"  cried  Kate,  with  delight. 
"  Why,  there  is  Frederic  now." 

Frederic  entered  the  room,  but  stopped  when  he  had 
taken  a  few  steps  forward.  'Mr.  and  Mrs.  Blenner 
hassett  and  Colonel  Burr  approached  him  and  extended 
their  congratulations.  He  refused  their  outstretched 
hands  and  turned  his  face  away  from  Kate's  eager  gaze. 
All  looked  at  him,  astonishment  depicted  upon  their 
countenances.  There  was  a  look  upon  Frederic's 
face  which  none  of  those  who  saw  it  could  under 
stand.  They  stood  expectant:  it  was  for  him  to  ex 
plain. 

Finally,  he  said,  with  apparent  difficulty  of  utter 
ance:  "  Ladies  and  gentlemen,  this  is  the  saddest  mo- 


256  BLENNERHASSETT 

ment  of  my  life,  when  it  should  be  the  happiest.     I  have 
a  most  disagreeable  duty  to  perform." 

Kate  approached  him,  her  hands  outstretched :  "  Are 
you  going  to  take  back  your  promise?  " 

Frederic  drew  a  document  from  within  the  breast  of 
his  coat  and  slowly  unfolded  it.  "  By  this  warrant  I 
am  directed  by  the  Governor  of  Ohio  to  arrest  Aaron 
Burr  for  conspiracy  and  high  treason,  and  Harman 
Blennerhassett  as  an  accessory." 

Kate  gave  a  loud  shriek  and  fell  prostrate  at  her 
lover's  feet.  Blennerhassett  stood  irresolute.  He  did 
not  seem  to  comprehend  the  full  meaning  of  the  words 
that  he  had  just  heard.  Mrs.  Blennerhassett  calmly 
regarded  the  stolid  face  of  her  husband.  Burr  looked 
at  Clarke  and  a  grim  smile  played  over  his  face.  Then 
he  spoke : 

"  It  seems  I  am  to  be  blessed  with  a  most  dutiful  and 
respectful  son-in-law." 

From  Kate,  there  came  a  low  cry  of  despair.  Burr 
stepped  quickly  forward.  "  Forgive  me,  Kate,  I  was 
unthinking."  He  lifted  her  to  her  feet  and  supported 
her  tenderly. 

"  Frederic !  "  she  cried,  "  this  must  not  be !  How 
could  you?  Why  did  you  not  warn  me  so  he  could 
escape?  " 

There  was  a  withering  sarcasm  in  Burr's  next  words : 
"  His  plans  were  well  laid,  but  they  will  miscarry.  He 
was  willing  to  play  the  hypocrite,  Kate,  to  gain  your 
hand,  when  he  knew  that  in  a  short  time  he  would  dis 
grace  your  foster-father  in  your  eyes." 

'  You  wrong  me  greatly,  Colonel  Burr,"  said  Fred 
eric.  "  The  Blennerhassetts  have  been  my  dearest 
friends." 

"  Have  been  ?  "  said  Burr,  in  a  tone  full  of  irony, 
"  well  qualified !  You  say  your  document  emanates 
from  the  Governor  of  Ohio.  This  island  lies  within 
the  jurisdiction  of  Virginia." 


"A  DIVIDED  DUTT'  257 

Frederic  answered  this  remark  in  a  sullen,  defiant 
tone :  "  The  warrant  is  issued  at  the  President's  re 
quest.  He  is  not  likely  to  have  made  such  a  grave 
mistake." 

"  Why  not  ?  "  asked  Burr.  "  It  is  not  necessary  for  the 
President  of  the  United  States  to  be  a  scholar.  Pro 
ceed,  young  man,  to  serve  your  warrant;  but,  first  con 
sider  the  consequences  to  yourself." 

Frederic  spoke  in  a  decided  tone :  "  I  shall  perform 
my  duty  as  a  soldier,  whatever  may  befall  me.  You 
must  both  go  with  me  to  Marietta." 

"And  if  I  refuse?"  cried  Burr.  "If  I  resist  this 
base  and  unexampled  violation  of  the  sanctity  of  a 
happy  home?  If  I  repel  the  accusation  against  Mr. 
Blennerhassett  and  myself  with  the  scorn  and  contempt 
it  deserves — are  you  the  man  to  be  the  tool  of  a  politi 
cal  conspiracy  to  wreak  vengeance  upon  a  rival — de 
feated,  but  yet  so  strong  as  to  be  feared?  " 

Frederic  unsheathed  his  sword :  "  Resistance  will 
avail  you  nothing." 

At  that  moment,  Graham  entered  and  took  a  posi 
tion  by  the  side  of  Frederic;  Burr  and  Blennerhassett 
looked  at  the  newcomer,  but  with  varying  emotions. 
Despite  the  removal  of  his  disguise,  Burr  had  recog 
nized  him. 

"  Ah !  "  he  cried,  "  I  recognize  in  this  emissary  -of 
the  President  my  former  boatman,  James  Gray — who 
could  not  swim !  I  can  excuse  you  now  for  your  lack 
of  feeling  when  my  little  grandson  was  struggling  in 
the  water.  The  duties  of  a  spy  naturally  render  him 
deaf  to  the  wants  of  suffering  humanity." 

Frederic  looked  at  Burr  and  then  at  Blennerhassett. 
"  I  hope  and  pray  to  Heaven  that  the  innocence  of 
you  both  will  be  made  as  clear  as  the  sun,  but  it  is 
to  the  people  of  America  it  must  be  proven,  not  to 
me." 

"  Captain  Clarke,"  said  Graham,  "  time  presses.     If 


258  BLENNERHASSETT 

you  have  not  the  courage  to  do  your  duty  I  will  call  in 
a  squad  of  soldiers  to  aid  you." 

Despite  the  gravity  of  the  situation  which  so  closely 
affected  him,  for  a  moment  Burr's  thoughts  were  turned 
towards  the  young  man  standing  thus  between  two 
fires,  and  in  his  heart,  for  he  was  not  a  revengeful  man, 
he  truly  pitied  him.  Then  a  scene  passed  before  his 
eyes.  Before  the  Duke  stood  Desdemona,  her  father, 
and  Othello;  then,  he  seemed  to  hear  the  words  that 
fell  from  her  lips :  "  I  do  perceive  here  a  divided 
duty." 

Mrs.  Blennerhassett,  who  had  remained  silent  up  to 
the  present  time,  now  spoke  with  a  voice  full  of  indig 
nation  :  "  And  you  have  deemed  it  necessary  to  bring  a 
guard  to  assist  you?  Captain  Clarke,  you  are  a  cow 
ard!" 

Kate  cried :  "  This  must  be  a  dream,  Frederic,  a 
horrid  dream !  " 

Burr  turned  to  Graham :  "  Mr.  Spy,  excuse  me,  for 
I  know  you  by  no  other  name — I  will  go  with  you  and 
convict  my  accusers  of  conspiracy  and  perjury." 

'  You  speak  to  me  as  though  I  were  the  criminal," 
retorted  Graham. 

Burr  rejoined :  "  A  man  who  is  guilty  of  inhumanity 
is  capable  of  a  crime." 

'*  You  know  what  the  law  is,"  said  Graham  dog 
gedly. 

'  Yes,"  cried  Burr,  "  the  law  is  whatever  is  boldly 
asserted  and  plausibly  maintained.  Now  it  is  on  your 
side,  but  you  shall  not  take  this  innocent  man  from  his 
home."  As  he  said  this,  he  pointed  to  Blennerhassett. 
"  If  you  should  ever  need  him  it  will  not  be  necessary 
to  bring  a  regiment  of  soldiers.  If  I  am  found  guilty, 
it  will  not  prove  that  Mr.  Blennerhassett  is  also.  If  I 
am  found  not  guilty,  Mr.  Blennerhassett  surely  cannot 
be  guilty."  He  continued  :  "  Mr.  Spy,  I  am  your  pris 
oner.  I  must  deny  Captain  Clarke  the  pleasure  of  tak- 


"A  DIVIDED  DUTT'  259 

ing  me  into  custody.  I  deny  his  authority,  but  I  bow 
to  the  will  of  His  Majesty,  the  President!  " 

Graham  went  to  the  great  door.  Burr  followed  him. 
Then  he  turned  and  said,  in  his  most  winning  manner : 
"  Friends,  au  revoir,  I  will  take  dinner  with  you  to 
morrow."  A  low  bow,  and  the  door  closed  after  him. 

Frederic  seemed  to  feel  that  the  assumption  of  au 
thority  by  Graham,  and  Colonel  Burr's  refusal  to  sub 
mit  to  arrest  at  his  hands,  had,  to  a  great  extent  if  not 
wholly,  extricated  him  from  the  dilemma  in  which  he 
had  been  placed.  He  turned- towards  Kate  and  extended 
his  hand.  With  a  cry  of  repulsion,  she  shrank  from 
him  and  took  refuge  by  the  side  of  Mrs.  Blennerhassett; 
then  all  the  fierceness  of  her  temper  and  the  heat  of  her 
indignation  showed  themselves.  Looking  at  Frederic 
with  an  angry  gleam  in  her  eyes,  and  the  cut  beneath 
her  lip  showing  a  livid  red,  she  cried : 

"  Frederic  Clarke,  I  hate  you !  More  than  that,  I 
despise  you !  I  will  never  marry  you  while  my  foster- 
father  lives !  "  With  an  agonized  cry,  she  buried  her 
face  upon  Mrs.  Blennerhassett's  bosom,  and  was  quickly 
encircled  by  loving  arms. 

When  Frederic  reached  the  lawn,  before  the  house, 
he  stopped  to  think.  He  recalled  how  he  had  been 
placed  by  the  hand  of  Fate  between  duty  and  love.  He 
had  failed  to  perform  the  one  and  had  lost  the  other. 

The  afternoon  of  that  dreadful  day  wore  slowly 
away.  A  short  time  after  the  departure  of  Colonel 
Burr,  the  spirit  of  the  good  housewife  rose  triumphant, 
and  Mrs.  Blennerhassett  went  to  attend  to  her  house 
hold  duties.  Mr.  Blennerhassett  remembered  that  he 
had  not  completed  a  certain  chemical  experiment  in  his 
laboratory,  and  was  soon  intent  over  it.  Kate  asked 
if  she  could  accompany  him,  for  she  did  not  dare  to  be 
left  alone  with  her  sorrow  which,  it  seemed  to  her,  was 
greater  than  she  could  bear. 

At  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  Mrs.  Blennerhassett 


260  BLENNERHASSETT 

rushed  into  the  laboratory  with  an  affrighted  look  upon 
her  face.  "  Oh !  Harman,"  she  cried,  "  and  you,  Kate, 
go  up-stairs  and  get  the  children  and  run  as  fast  as  you 
can  with  them  down  to  Colonel  Burr's  raft.  It  is  no 
use  to  go  to  the  boat-landing,  the  soldiers  are  there." 

"  Why,  what's  the  matter?  "  exclaimed  Kate.  Blen- 
nerhassett  seemed  stupefied. 

"  Only  four  soldiers  went  with  Colonel  Burr,"  said 
Mrs.  Blennerhassett.  "  The  remainder  were  left  on  the 
island.  They  broke  into  the  storehouse  and  took  what 
ever  suited  their  fancy.  They  ate  up  what  they  could 
and  wantonly  destroyed  the  rest.  That  would  not  have 
been  so  bad,  but  they  broke  into  the  wine-vault  and  are 
righting  for  the  possession  of  the  liquor  with  the  fury 
of  demons.  We  must  not  remain  here  any  longer.  Oh ! 
Kate,  do  what  you  can  to  help  me.  I  will  get  some 
clothing  for  ourselves  and  the  children.  We  must  fly 
at  once !  " 

Kate  grasped  Mr.  Blennerhassett  by  the  arm  and 
they  soon  reached  the  nursery,  while  Mrs.  Blenner 
hassett  went  to  complete  the  task  which  she  had  laid  out 
for  herself.  In  less  than  half  an  hour,  Blennerhassett, 
his  wife,  Kate,  and  the  three  little  boys  were  on  the 
raft  which  had  brought  Colonel  Burr  and  his  com 
panions  to  the  Island  Beautiful.  The  faithful  Walters 
was  at  his  post.  Bob  was  sent  to  find  Philander  and 
Marmaduke,  and  they  joined  the  little  party  on  the  raft. 

Within  the  great  mansion,  one  would  have  thought 
the  terrors  of  the  French  Revolution  were  being  enacted 
again.  The  drunken  soldiers  entirely  ignored  the  re 
straint  of  their  officers,  if  any  had  been  exercised,  and 
acted  like  fiends  incarnate.  The  furniture  in  the  great 
hall  was  overturned  and  the  leathern  seats  slashed  with 
bayonets.  In  the  drawing-room,  the  pictures  were  torn 
from  the  walls  and  their  destroyers  danced  upon  the 
broken  fragments.  Musket,  rifle,  and  pistol  shots  de 
molished  the  beautiful  mirrors,  the  statues  and  the 


"A  DIVIDED  DUTT'  261 

articles  of  vertu  with  which  the  room  was  filled.  The 
cabinet  of  curiosities  was  lifted  by  four  sturdy  soldiers, 
and  with  a  shout  of  drunken  glee,  hurled  through  the 
window-panes.  The  curtains  and  lambrequins  were 
pulled  down  by  ruthless  hands  and  thrown  into  the  cen 
tre  of  the  room.  Upon  them  were  piled  the  broken 
fragments  of  the  beautiful  furniture  which  had  adorned 
the  room.  Then  the  destroyers  invaded  the  library. 
Books  of  almost  priceless  value  were  pushed  from  the 
shelves  with  bayonets  and  thrown  in  a  promiscuous  pile 
upon  the  floor.  In  the  laboratory,  the  unthinking  dese- 
crators  grasped  bottles  of  chemicals  and  smashed  them 
upon  the  stone  floor  of  the  room.  To  this  act  was  due 
the  final  work  of  destruction.  Explosion  followed  ex 
plosion  and  the  seething  flames  drove  the  uneducated 
ruffians  from  the  room.  They  made  no  effort  to  re 
strain  the  progress  of  the  fire.  It  invaded  the  library 
and  found  new  fuel  in  the  immense  pile  of  books,  maps, 
and  papers  which  it  contained.  Gaining  headway,  it 
penetrated  the  once  beautiful  drawing-room.  It  took 
but  a  short  time  for  the  flames  to  mount  to  the  ceiling 
and  then  upward  to  the  second  story.  The  blinding 
smoke  and  the  heat  drove  the  brutalized  soldiers  from 
the  mansion.  They  gathered  upon  the  lawn,  and  there, 
as  a  fitting  finale  to  their  drunken  orgie,  they  attempted 
to  dance,  while  showers  of  sparks  and  blazing  embers 
blown  by  the  stiff  breeze,  fell  about  them. 

The  feelings  of  the  homeless  party  upon  the  little 
raft  in  the  river  can  only  be  imagined.  Great  clouds 
of  black  smoke  rose  from  the  burning  pile,  followed  by 
massive  shoots  of  flame  which  filled  the  now  darkened 
sky  with  a  lurid  light  and  made  the  Ohio  look  like  a 
river  of  blood. 

There  was  no  choice,  now.  The  only  course  left 
them  was  to  follow  the  fortunes  of  the  leader  of  the  en 
terprise,  by  which  they  had  lost  so  much,  but  in 
which  they  had  so  earnestly  joined.  Burr  had  told  them 


262  BLENNERHASSETT 

that  when  he  left  the  island  he  would  proceed  to  Frank 
fort,  and  thither  they  decided  to  make  their  way.  Be 
hind  them,  lay  their  palace  in  flames,  soon  to  be  but  a 
mass  of  blackened  ruins.  Before  them,  was  the  Prom 
ised  Land  with  hopes  of  greater  power,  honor,  and 
riches  than  they  had  lost. 

The  signal  was  given  to  the  boatmen  to  cast  off,  and 
the  raft  moved  slowly  down  the  river.  The  shouts  and 
songs  of  the  drunken  soldiers  still  reached  their  ears. 
As  they  neared  the  western  end  of  the  island,  a  loud 
crash  was  heard  and  a  volume  of  sparks  and  burning 
embers  shot  upward  towards  the  sky.  This  was  the 
last  farewell  of  Harman  Blennerhassett  and  his  wife, 
Margaret,  to  their  once  beautiful  home,  for  Fate  had 
decreed  that  they  should  never  see  it  again. 

Some  years  later,  Nature,  in  one  of  her  wrathful 
moods,  sent  down  upon  the  Island  Beautiful  a  waste  of 
waters  which  swept  away  forever  every  vestige  of  the 
artificial  graces  that  the  hand  of  man  had  added  to  the 
original  charms  with  which  the  hand  of  God  had  beau 
tified  it  in  its  primeval  state. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

GUARDED  BY  THE  GREAT  SPIRIT 

GRAHAM,  after  arresting  Colonel  Burr,  de 
livered  him  to  Colonel  Phelps  who  took  him 
to  Marietta  for  trial.  The  whole  affair  was 
a  farce;  for,  if  an  indictment  had  been  granted,  no 
jury  could  have  been  found  to  convict  him.  Burr 
was  released  and  he  proceeded  to  Frankfort.  Here  he 
was  again  arrested  at  the  instigation  of  two  noted 
political  opponents.  This  second  trial  also  proved  to 
be  a  comedy.  Among  his  defenders  was  Henry  Clay, 
and  in  a  short  time  he  was  once  more  a  free  man. 

Then  he  pressed  on  to  Natchez  which  had  been  fixed 
upon  as  the  rendezvous  for  the  flotilla  of  bateaux  which 
was  to  leave  Blennerhassett  Island  laden  to  the  water's 
edge  with  provisions,  munitions  of  war,  and  his  army 
of  recruits. 

Wilkinson  heard  of  the  on-coming  of  the  northern 
invaders.  The  time  had  now  come  for  him  to  save  him 
self  as  Jefferson  had  known  he  would  when  it  became 
necessary.  Making  changes  in  a  cipher  letter  that  he 
had  received  from  Burr  so  as  to  have  it  contain  positive 
evidence  of  contemplated  treason  on  Burr's  part,  he 
forwarded  it,  together  with  other  incriminating  papers 
and  statements,  to  the  President.  The  latter  under 
stood.  He  had  won !  His  feared  and  hated  rival  was 
now  completely  in  his  power.  He  issued  a  proclama 
tion  in  which  he  stated  that  certain  persons  were  en 
gaged  in  a  seditious  and  treasonable  undertaking.  He 
used  no  names,  but  those  who  read  saw  the  name  of 

263 


264  BLENNERHASSETT 

Burr  stand  out  as  plainly  as  did  the  writing  on  the  wall 
at  the  Babylonish  feast.  The  President  called  upon  the 
civil  and  military  officers  of  the  United  States  to  ar 
rest  the  conspirators,  and  upon  the  good  citizens  of  all 
parties  to  sustain  the  administration  in  this  hour  of 
peril.  The  Governor  of  Mississippi  Territory  was  not 
so  mealy-mouthed,  for  he  offered  a  reward  of  two  thou 
sand  dollars  for  the  arrest  of  Aaron  Burr. 

In  the  meantime,  Wilkinson  had  not  been  idle.  He 
informed  the  Spanish  military  commander  in  Texas 
of  the  projected  invasion  and  assured  him  that  the 
American  army  would  stand  side  by  side  with  that  of 
Spain  to  repel  the  invaders. 

In  New  Orleans,  he  was  loud  in  his  protestations  of 
loyalty  to  the  American  flag  and  in  condemnation  of 
Burr  and  his  associates.  Look  upon  this  picture  of  the 
man  Wilkinson!  He  proved  false  to  his  friends  in 
Ohio,  Kentucky,  and  Tennessee.  He  proved  false  to 
the  King  of  Spain  whose  bribes  he  had  taken.  He 
proved  false  to  his  own  country  in  so  far  as  he  had  been 
in  any  way  true  to  those  whom  he  finally  deceived.  Not 
satisfied  with  his  triple  treachery,  he  proved  false  to  his 
brother  officer,  thus  completing  the  quadrangle  of  in 
famy.  The  fair-faced  friend  became  a  foul-hearted  foe. 

Warned  by  friends  in  the  city  of  New  Orleans  of  the 
President's  proclamation  and  of  the  attitude  taken  by 
General  Wilkinson,  Burr  recognized  the  fact  that  to  pro 
ceed  farther  South  would  surely  result  in  his  arrest.  He 
learned,  too,  that  a  price  was  set  upon  his  head,  and  he 
knew  that  the  friends  of  Hamilton  and  the  friends  of 
Jefferson  would  use  all  the  power  they  possessed  to 
secure  his  conviction  for  high  treason.  He  realized 
that  the  chances  were  against  him ;  that  he  would  prob 
ably  be  captured  and  taken  North  for  trial;  neverthe 
less,  he  determined  to  make  an  attempt  to  reach  the 
Atlantic  coast,  and,  if  possible,  escape  to  Europe. 

Having  taken  the  position  that  he  had  towards  Spain, 


GUARDED  BT  GREAT  SPIRIT  265 

he  could  not  count  upon  finding  a  refuge  in  Mexico, 
in  Cuba,  or  any  other  of  the  West  Indies.  He  told  his 
followers,  some  sixty  in  number,  of  the  failure  of  the 
expedition.  At  his  request,  followed  later  by  his  abso 
lute  command,  they  manned  their  boats  and  began  row 
ing  up  stream  having  first  sunk  their  arms  and  muni 
tions  of  war  to  the  bottom  of  the  Mississippi.  It  was 
their  intention  to  land  at  sortie  point  in  Tennessee  or 
Kentucky  and  disperse  to  their  homes. 

Burr  had  secured  for  himself  a  sturdy  young  horse. 
He  had  a  pair  of  pistols  in  his  holsters  and  a  supply  of 
ammunition.  He  filled  a  bag  with  provisions  and 
fastened  a  couple  of  blankets  to  his  saddle.  Then  he 
mounted,  bade  farewell  to  his  comrades,  and  turned  his 
face  towards  the  East.  He  knew  the  hardships  and 
trials  that  he  must  undergo  before  he  could  reach  South 
Carolina,  and  the  few  friends  that  he  had  left  in  the 
world  upon  whose  assistance  he  could  count;  but  he 
was  a  man,  despite  his  small  stature,  of  great  physical 
strength;  inured  to  hardship  and  privation,  of  indomi 
table  courage,  to  whom  the  word  fear  was  unknown. 

He  had  started  upon  the  trip  early  in  the  morning; 
about  noon,  he  stopped  and  made  a  frugal  repast  beside 
a  small  brook.  With  his  abstemious  habits,  he  knew 
that  his  supply  of  food  would  last  him  for  many  days, 
and  he  had  no  fear  but  that  his  horse,  if  left  to  himself, 
would  find  the  means  of  subsistence.  Coming  to  a  little 
glade  in  the  forest,  as  the  sun  was  sinking  low  in  the 
West,  he  determined  to  spend  his  first  night  there.  He 
tethered  his  horse,  built  a  fire,  and  then  prepared  his 
supper.  He  had  filled  his  canteen  with  water  from  the 
brook,  and  his  simple  wants  were  soon  supplied. 

Then  he  sat  down  upon  the  trunk  of  a  tree  that  had 
been  thrown  to  the  ground  in  some  great  storm,  filled 
his  pipe,  lighted  it,  and  began  to  think.  However  im 
passive  and  hard  to  understand  Colonel  Burr  may  have 
been  to  other  people,  he  was  a  man  who  had  no  se- 


266  BLENNERHASSETT 

crets  from  himself;  he  was  not  afraid  of  self-intro 
spection.  He  had  now  reached  the  meridian  of  life. 
The  night  was  still.  Never  had  man  a  better  oppor 
tunity  to  look  back  upon  the  events  of  a  busy  life  and 
decide,  in  his  own  mind,  whether  the  course  that  he 
had  followed  up  to  that  time  should  be  pursued,  or 
whether  he  should  make  a  sharp  turn  and  follow  a  new 
and  untraveled  road. 

As  he  looked  up  at  the  blue  empyrean,  studded  with 
stars,  two  seemed  to  be  familiar  to  him.  Perhaps 
those  two  stars  were  the  ones  that  controlled  his  life, 
he  thought.  He  did  not  know  their  astronomical 
names  but,  in  his  mind,  he  felt,  personally,  that  they 
should  be  called  Pride  and  Ambition.  Why  had  he 
quarreled  with  Washington?  Why  had  he  left  the 
staff  of  the  commander-in-chief  when  the  way  to  glory 
seemed  open  to  him  ?  Some  one,  he  felt  at  the  time,  must 
have  poisoned  the  mind  of  the  General  against  him. 
He  did  not  then  know  who  it  was;  he  had  found  out 
since,  and  to  his  mind's  eye  came  a  picture  of  that  July 
morning  on  the  Heights  at  Weehawken;  that  account 
had  been  settled!  But  why  had  he  not  asked  Wash 
ington  the  cause  of  his  reserve  and  distrust,  and,  when 
he  had  learned  the  cause,  why  had  he  not  endeavored  to 
explain  the  matter  ?  Simply  because  Aaron  Burr  never 
explained  anything  to  anybody;  his  pride  would  not 
allow  him  to  do  so. 

Then  he  thought  of  those  stirring  days  when  his 
exertions  in  the  State  of  New  York  had  brought  suc 
cess  to  the  Democratic-Republican  party,  and  when  the 
electoral  votes  were  counted  it  was  found  that  Thomas 
Jefferson  and  Aaron  Burr  had  an  equal  number.  In 
stead  of  allowing  the  Federalist  party  to  make  a  tool  of 
him,  instead  of  allowing  his  opponents  among  the 
Democratic-Republicans  to  accuse  him  of  being  a 
traitor  to  his  own  party,  why  had  he  not  come  out 
boldly  and  declared  in  unmistakable  terms  that  he  had 


GUARDED  BT  GREAT  SPIRIT  267 

no  ambition  to  be  president  at  that  time?  Simply  be 
cause  his  pride  would  not  allow  him  to  explain,  and 
because  he  was  ambitious  to  be  president  even  if 
Thomas  Jefferson  were  obliged  to  take  second  place. 

Then  his  mind  wandered  again  to  the  field  at  Wee- 
hawken.  Had  he  done  the  best  thing  for  himself  in 
killing  Hamilton  ?  No !  assuredly  the  worst  thing  pos 
sible  for  himself;  but  why  had  he  not  published  the 
confession  of  Hamilton's  confederate,  which  had  come 
into  the  possession  of  Van  Ness,  and  those  other  papers 
which  would  have  vindicated  his  action  in  the  minds 
of  his  countrymen?  Simply  because  Aaron  Burr's 
pride  would  not  allow  him  to  explain. 

Hamilton  had  been  made  a  martyr  by  his  pistol-shot, 
while  to  him,  Burr,  had  come  nothing  but  obloquy.  He 
might  have  avoided  this  if  he  had  made  the  papers  in 
his  possession  public;  but  he  had  decided  that  their  con 
tents  should  not  be  made  known  for  fifty  years  after 
his  death,  so  that  matter,  too,  was  settled. 

Then  he  realized  how  he  had  been  cajoled  and  hood 
winked  by  Wilkinson.  He  saw  now  that  Wilkinson 
had  been  acting  a  part  which,  no  doubt,  had  been 
suggested  to  him  by  the  President.  It  had  succeeded 
only  too  well.  To  some  of  his  friends,  he  had  spoken 
only  of  his  land  schemes  by  which  a  great  amount  of 
money  was  to  be  made;  to  others,  he  had  hinted  at  the 
probable  action  of  Kentucky  and  Tennessee  in  casting 
their  fate  with  New  Spain  rather  than  with  the  United 
States.  This  he  had  been  prompted  to  do  by  Wilkinson 
who  told  him  it  was  the  only  way  in  which  to  arouse 
Congress  to  action.  To  others,  he  had  confided  the 
details  of  the  proposed  expedition  into  Texas  and 
Mexico.  He  informed  them,  as  he  had  been  told  by 
Wilkinson,  that  at  the  proper  time  the  President  would 
call  upon  Congress  to  declare  war  against  Spain;  and 
then  Burr  and  his  followers,  aided  by  the  army  of  the 
United  States,  would  take  possession  of  this  South- 


268  BLENNERHASSETT 

western  Territory.  He  saw  how  all  these  speeches,  so 
contrary  in  their  nature,  would  be  used  against  him; 
and  he  realized  that  the  supreme  effort  of  his  life  would 
be  demanded  in  order  to  save  that  life. 

For  several  days,  he  kept  on  his  course  eastward. 
On  one  occasion,  after  night  had  fallen  upon  the  forest, 
having  found  no  satisfactory  place  in  which  to  rest,  he 
pushed  on  in  the  darkness.  Suddenly,  he  entered  a 
clearing  in  the  woods,  and,  as  his  horse  bounded  for 
ward,  he  was  surprised  to  see  a  large  fire  around  which 
were  seated  some  thirty  or  forty  human  forms.  His 
quick  glance  soon  discerned  that  they  were  Indians. 
He  slipped  from  his  horse  and,  taking  hold  of  the 
bridle,  walked  towards  the  party. 

Several  of  the  braves  jumped  to  their  feet  and  came 
towards  him.  He  addressed  the  first  in  English,  but  he 
evidently  did  not  comprehend;  then  he  spoke  in  French, 
which  one  of  the  party  did  understand.  He  learned 
afterwards  that  this  Indian  had  originally  belonged  to 
one  of  the  Louisiana  tribes. 

Fortunately  for  Burr,  the  meeting  upon  which  he  had 
chanced  was  a  peaceful  one;  in  fact,  the  Indians  were 
engaged  in  smoking  the  pipe  of  peace  when  he  dashed 
into  the  clearing.  Walking  towards  the  chief  of  the 
party,  he  saluted  him,  and  then  pointed  to  the  pipes. 
One  was  passed  to  him,  and,  at  a  sign  from  the  chief, 
he  took  a  seat  beside  him  and  smoked,  as  the  others 
did. 

By  means  of  the  French  interpreter,  he  told  the  chief 
that  he  had  left  the  palefaces  and  desired  to  cast  his 
fortunes  in  future  with  the  red  men.  On  the  morrow, 
he  wished  the  braves  might  be  called  in  council,  and 
he  would  tell  them  strange  stories  of  what  was  going 
on  in  the  world  around  them,  of  which  they  knew 
nothing. 

"  When  I  speak  to  you,"  he  said,  "  let  me  speak  as 
one  of  you.  Give  me  one  of  your  costumes,  and  you 


"AARON  BURR,  IN  THE  DRESS  OF  A  CREEK  CHIEF,  STEPPED  INTO  THE 

CENTRE  OF  THE  COUNCIL,  AND  THUS  ADDRESSED  THE  MEETING:" 


GUARDED  BT  GREAT  SPIRIT  269 

will  see  that  when  I  talk  to  Indians  that  I  talk  like  an 
Indian  and  act  like  one." 

His  horse  was  taken  away  by  one  of  the  braves  to 
be  cared  for.  Burr  was  shown  to  a  wigwam  which  was 
placed  at  his  disposal.  He  was  supplied  with  food,  and 
later  the  complete  costume  of  a  Creek  chief  was  brought 
to  him. 

Despite  his  peculiar  position,  this  wonderful  man 
slept  quietly  through  the  night,  and  when  he  awoke  in 
the  morning,  he  donned  his  Indian  garb.  The  council 
was  called  at  mid-noon,  and  at  about  ten  o'clock  Aaron 
Burr,  in  the  dress  of  a  Creek  chief,  stepped  into  the 
centre  of  the  council,  and  thus  addressed  the  meeting: 

"  Friends  and  Brothers :  I  come  from  the  North. 
Not  satisfied  with  driving  your  brothers  a  thousand 
miles  from  the  seacoast,  your  enemies  have  now  turned 
their  eyes  towards  the  South  and  are  preparing  to 
drive  you  into  the  Gulf.  There  are  thousands  of  them 
armed  with  deadly  rifles.  They  wish  for  your  land, 
and,  in  order  to  possess  it,  they  wish  for  your  lives. 
I  am  sick  of  this  work  of  bloodshed  and  slaughter.  I 
will  take  no  more  part  in  it.  I  have  come  to  warn 
you.  I  have  come  to  tell  you  that  it  is  useless  for  you 
to  resist  them.  But  I  come  to  tell  you  that  I  know  of 
a  land,  far  away,"  and  he  pointed  to  the  Southwest, 
"  where,  if  you  will  follow  me,  the  white  man  will  not 
follow  you.  There  we  can  live  in  peace  and  plenty  for 
years  to  come.  There  your  children  may  be  born  and 
grow  to  manhood,  and  your  fathers  and  mothers  and 
grandsires  may  die  and  be  buried  in  peace." 

He  took  his  seat,  and  for  a  long  time  not  a  word 
was  said.  Then  one  of  the  chiefs  arose  and  spoke : 

"  We  have  heard  the  words  of  our  white  brother. 
We  know  that  what  he  tells  us  is  true.  We  know  that 
these  lands  that  belonged  to  our  fathers  and  which 
became  ours  after  them  must  pass  from  our  hands. 
We  know  that  we  shall  be  driven  into  the  Gulf  or  find 


270  BLENNERHASSETT 

graves  in  the  land  where  we  have  lived  so  long.  But 
the  Creeks  are  not  cowards !  If  we  should  go  with  you 
to  that  land  where  some  of  our  brothers  went  years  ago, 
it  would  be  said  that  we  were  cowards  and  that  we  did 
not  dare  to  stay  and  fight.  That  we  ran  away  at  the 
approach  of  the  white  man.  Where  are  our  brothers 
that  went  to  that  far-off  country  years  ago  ?  We  have 
never  heard  from  them.  They  are  dead.  Our  fate 
would  be  the  same.  No!  The  Creeks  will  remain. 
They  will  fight  to  the  last !  It  shall  never  be  said  that 
the  Creeks  were  cowards  and  were  not  brave  enough 
to  stay  and  fight  for  their  native  land." 

Grunts  of  approval  came  from  the  chiefs  who  were 
gathered  at  the  council.  Burr  arose  and  made  one 
more  appeal  for  them  to  follow  him,  but  he  soon  saw 
that  his  efforts  were  useless. 

He  was  attended  to  the  door  of  his  wigwam,  which 
he  entered.  The  clothes  which  he  had  worn  had  been 
taken  away.  What  was  to  be  done  next?  Should  he 
continue  his  travels  dressed  as  a  Creek  Indian?  Such 
a  course  would  be  even  more  dangerous  than  to  proceed 
in  that  of  a  river  boatman  which  he  had  worn  since  he 
left  Natchez. 

But  the  Indians  solved  this  question  for  him.  Food 
was  brought  at  noon  and  night.  After  darkness  fell, 
an  Indian  entered  and  laid  a  bundle  down  before  him. 
He  knew  it  contained  the  clothes  that  he  had  worn 
when  he  entered  the  camp.  Taking  off  the  costume  of 
the  Creek  warrior,  he  resumed  his  former  disguise. 
Then  he  heard  a  sound  outside.  On  looking  out  he 
found  that  his  horse,  saddled  and  bridled,  stood  by  the 
opening.  Burr  understood.  He  left  the  wigwam, 
mounted  his  horse,  and,  without  a  word,  pushed  into 
the  forest  in  the  darkness  of  the  night. 

As  he  rode  on,  a  grim  smile  played  over  his  features. 
How  was  it  that  he  had  escaped  death  at  their  hands? 
How  was  it  that  they  had  failed  to  have  sport  with 


GUARDED  BT  GREAT  SPIRIT  271 

him  by  tying  him  to  a  tree  or  post  as  a  victim  and 
inflicting  upon  him  all  sorts  of  torture?  He  well  knew. 
His  actions  and  that  speech  had  saved  his  life.  The 
Indians  had  thought  that  he  was  insane  and  no  Indian 
would  raise  a  hand  against  a  man  thus  afflicted.  To 
their  untutored  minds  a  person  bereft  of  reason,  who 
cannot  look  out  for  himself,  is  expressly  guarded  by 
the  Great  Spirit. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

BETWEEN    THE    MILLSTONES 

IT  will  seem  strange  that  so  few  of  Burr's  expected 
followers  joined  him  at  the  appointed  rendezvous. 
A  glance  at  the  history  of  the  time  supplies  an  un 
deniable  solution  of  the  situation.  The  President's 
proclamation  had  been  issued  just  in  the  nick  of  time. 
It  struck  the  western  malcontents  at  that  desperate 
point  of  uncertainty  which  just  precedes  positive  action. 
Had  it  been  issued  a  month  later,  twenty  thousand  fol 
lowers  would  have  flocked  to  Burr's  standard,  and  the 
conspiracy,  or  rebellion,  would  have  been  recorded  in 
history  as  a  revolution. 

Those  who  had  been  loudest  in  their  denunciations  of 
Congress  were  now  dumb  as  oysters.  Those  who  had 
vaunted  their  ability  to  bring  down  a  Spaniard  at  long 
range  were  conspicuous  for  the  zeal  with  which  they 
followed  the  plough  or  wielded  the  hoe.  In  hundreds 
of  homes,  the  brightly-burnished  musket  or  rifle,  to 
gether  with  bullet-pouch  and  powder-horn,  had  stood 
ready  to  be  clutched  when  the  signal  for  the  advance 
was  heard.  After  the  tenor  of  the  proclamation  became 
known,  the  unloaded  weapon  hung  peacefully  over  the 
mantelpiece,  or  was  relegated  to  a  dark  corner  of  the 
attic.  If  the  Rubicon  had  been  passed,  all  these  men 
would  have  been  warriors,  for  the  issue  would  have 
been  success  or  failure,  life  or  death.  No,  these  were 
the  piping  times  of  peace  and  only  conspirators  and 
traitors  bore  arms  unlawfully. 

The  country  was  startled.     Loyalty  and  patriotism 

272 


BETWEEN  THE  MILLSTONES  273 

sprang  up.  To  all,  without  distinction  of  party,  the 
whole  affair  seemed  plain.  Aaron  Burr,  the  disap 
pointed  politician,  who  had  tried  to  defeat  Jefferson  at 
his  first  election,  and  who  had  hoped  to  secure  the 
highest  place  in  the  gift  of  the  people  by  virtue  of  his 
position  as  Governor  of  New  York;  who  had  killed 
Hamilton  because  the  latter  had  worked  successfully  to 
defeat  his  aspirations;  who  had  conspired  to  keep  Ken 
tucky  and  Tennessee  from  joining  the  Union;  this  fili 
buster,  at  the  head  of  armed  followers,  now  intended  to 
take  possession  of  Louisiana  and  the  mouth  of  the  Mis 
sissippi;  next  to  conquer  Texas  and  Mexico  and  make 
himself  the  head  of  a  new  empire.  How  natural  and 
probable  all  this  seemed  to  the  people  in  those  days. 
Yet,  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  Federalists,  of 
whom  Hamilton  was  the  great  exponent,  were  op 
posed  to  the  United  States  extending  westward.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  Democratic-Republican  party,  of 
which  Jefferson  was  the  head,  believed  that  the  "  star  of 
empire  "  should  take  its  way  westward,  and  that  the 
United  States  should  reach  to  the  eastern  border  of 
the  Mississippi  at  least.  To  timid  men,  it  seemed  prob 
able  that  after  the  arch-traitor  Burr  had  conquered  the 
Southwestern  Territory,  that  he  would  have  designs 
upon  the  country  bordering  upon  the  western  bank  of 
the  Mississippi  River.  As  Napoleon  Bonaparte  was 
the  terror  of  Europe,  so  Aaron  Burr  became  the  terror 
of  America.  As  English  mothers  used  to  frighten  their 
children  by  telling  them  that  Bonaparte  was  coming, 
it  is  not  improbable  that  some  American  mothers  in 
fluenced  their  offspring  with  tales  of  the  great  traitor 
and  conspirator,  Aaron  Burr.  He  was  the  man  on 
horseback,  ready  and  willing  to  ride  into  power  over 
the  rights  of  the  American  Republic,  which,  by  years  of 
battle,  thousands  of  lives,  and  millions  of  treasure, 
had  been  made  free.  Here  was  a  man  who  men 
aced  their  liberties  and  whom  it  was  their  duty  to 


274  BLENNERHASSETT 

remove  from  their  path  so  that  he  could  do  their  com 
mon  country  no  further  injury.  It  is  not  to  be  won 
dered  at  that  all  patriotic  citizens  looked  to  Jefferson  to 
free  them  from  this  ogre,  this  spectre !  Thus  it  happened 
that  the  same  man  who  by  his  tact  and  political  skill 
made  Jefferson  President  of  the  United  States,  by  his 
unsuccessful  scheme  rooted  the  Virginia  politician  in 
his  seat,  and  for  sixteen  years  after  the  expiration  of 
Jefferson's  term  Virginia  was  the  mother  of  Presi 
dents. 

For  several  days  after  his  adventure  with  the  In 
dians,  Burr  kept  on  his  way.  He  had  to  lose  some 
time  in  allowing  his  horse  to  rest,  and  his  supply  of 
provisions  had  become  quite  small,  but  he  knew  by 
various  signs  that  he  was  approaching  a  more  settled 
region. 

One  night,  he  espied  a  light  and  judged  by  its  posi 
tion  that  it  must  be  in  some  log-house.  He  had  been 
advised  that  when  he  arrived  at  a  river,  which  he  had 
recognized,  that  not  far  beyond  lived  a  certain  Colonel 
Hinson  wlio  was  in  sympathy  with  his  plans,  and  it 
was  his  purpose  to  reach  this  man  and  remain  secreted 
for  a  few  days  before  deciding  upon  his  future  course. 

Arrived  at  the  little  rude  cabin,  he  alighted  from  his 
hors,e  and  glancing  through  the  window  saw  two  men 
playing  a  game  of  checkers.  This  seemed  a  peaceful 
avocation  and  he  knocked  at  the  door.  He  inquired  of 
the  young  man  who  answered  the  summons,  the  direc 
tion  to  Colonel  Hinson's  house.  This  was  given 
him,  and,  thanking  his  informant,  he  mounted  his 
horse  and  rode  off. 

As  the  young  man  who  had  given  Burr  the  informa 
tion  came  back  into  the  cabin,  his  companion  said  : 

"  Come,  Perkins,  sit  down  and  finish  the  game." 

"  No,"  said  Perkins,  "  I  have  better  game  on  hand. 
Do  you  know  who  that  man  was  who  came  to  the 
door?" 


BETWEEN  THE  MILLSTONES  275 

"Of  course,  I  don't,"  said  the  other.  "I  didn't 
look  at  him.  Why  should  I  ?  " 

"  Well,"  said  Perkins,  "  that  man  means  two  thou 
sand  dollars  to  me;  if  you'll  help  me  catch  him,  we'll 
divide." 

"  No,"  replied  the  other  man,  "  you  can  have  the 
whole  of  it.  I  don't  take  any  stock  in  your  story." 

Perkins  was  not  particularly  desirous  of  imparting 
any  more  information  to  his  companion.  If  he  had 
told  him  that  the  man  who  had  come  to  the  door  was 
Aaron  Burr,  for  whom  a  reward  of  two  thousand  dol 
lars  was  offered,  he  had  no  doubt  his  friend  would 
have  been  willing  to  accompany  him.  But  Perkins  was 
human,  and  realized  that  two  thousand  was  twice  as 
much  as  one  thousand.  So,  dashing  out  of  the  cabin, 
he  started  towards  the  house  of  the  sheriff  of  the  county, 
which  was  not  far  distant  from  Colonel  Hinson's. 

To  the  sheriff  he  told  his  story,  and,  being  promised 
part  of  the  reward  if  he  made  the  arrest,  the  sheriff 
went  to  the  Colonel's  house.  There  he  found  that  a 
stranger  had  arrived,  had  introduced  himself  to  the 
Colonel,  had  been  made  welcome,  and  was  enjoying  a 
good  supper  before  a  blazing  fire.  The  sheriff  was 
welcomed  by  the  Colonel  and  introduced  to  Burr,  who, 
of  course,  had  given  an  assumed  name. 

Burr  was  at  his  best  that  evening.  Story  followed 
story;  witticism  followed  witticism,  and  the  Colonel 
and  the  sheriff  shook  their  sides  with  laughter.  Al 
though  the  sheriff  had  come  with  the  intention  of 
arresting  Burr,  the  idea  rapidly  vanished  from  his 
mind;  and  when,  at  half-past  eleven,  he  told  the  Col 
onel  that  he  must  go  home,  he  made  no  attempt  to 
interfere  with  the  personal  liberty  of  Colonel  Hinson's 
guest. 

On  going  from  the  house,  the  sheriff  was  met  by 
Perkins  who,  half-frozen,  abused  him  roundly  for  his 
failure  to  make  the  arrest.  The  sheriff  resented  this 


276  BLENNERHASSETT 

and  told  him  that  the  man's  name  was  not  Burr, 
and  that  if  Perkins  wished  to  make  a  fool  of  him 
self  he  had  his  permission.  Perkins,  however,  knew 
his  man.  He  had  seen  those  eyes  when  Burr  had  pre 
sided  over  the  Senate  at  Washington,  and  he  knew 
that  there  was  not  another  man  in  America  with  such  a 
pair.  . 

Procuring  a  horse,  he  rode  to  Fort  Gaines,  and, 
making  his  report  to  the  officer  in  command,  a  squad  of 
soldiers  was  sent  with  him  to  make  the  arrest. 

Burr,  by  the  advice  of  Colonel  Hinson,  had  left, 
early  the  next  morning,  on  his  course  eastward;  but 
he  was  overtaken  by  the  party  of  soldiers,  and,  Perkins 
having  sworn  that  he  was  Aaron  Burr,  the  fugitive  was 
taken  into  custody  by  the  United  States  troops. 

Then  followed  a  long,  dangerous,  and  uncomfortable 
journey  northward.  It  covered  several  weeks,  but 
finally,  Richmond,  Va.,  was  reached,  and  Burr  was  in 
carcerated  in  the  penitentiary.  The  news  of  his  arrest 
soon  spread  over  the  country.  A  grand  jury  was  at 
once  impaneled  to  bring  in  an  indictment  against  him. 
The  celebrated  Chief  Justice  Marshall  was  to  preside 
at  the  trial. 

A  true  bill  was  found  and  the  date  for  the  trial  fixed. 
Burr  determined  to  conduct  his  case  in  person,  but  he 
called  to  his  aid  his  great  friend,  Luther  Martin,  of 
Maryland,  Mr.  Wickham,  and  Edmund  Randolph  of 
Virginia.  Counting  himself,  this  made  a  quartette  of 
legal  notables. 

The  prosecution  was  conducted  by  Colonel  Hay  and 
Mr.  McRae,  and  to  their  number  was  added,  later,  the 
celebrated  William  Wirt,  afterwards  Attorney-General 
under  President  Madison. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  go  over  any  but  the  most  im 
portant  details  of  this  remarkable  trial,  the  stenographic 
report  of  which  covered  a  thousand  printed  pages. 
The  counsel  for  the  defence,  knowing  that  the  whole 


BETWEEN  THE  MILLSTONES  277 

power  of  the  administration  was  to  be  directed  against 
the  prisoner,  made  a  demand  for  certain  papers  known 
to  be  in  the  possession  of  the  President.  This  demand 
was  refused  by  the  Executive,  but,  after  long  days  of 
weary  and  apparently  useless  arguing,  it  was  finally 
decided  by  the  Chief  Justice  that  the  papers  must  be 
produced. 

This  was  a  point  gained  for  the  defence.  Edmund 
Randolph  did  not  quibble  in  the  speech  he  made  on 
this  occasion.  He  openly  declared  that  his  client  was 
being  prosecuted  not  alone  by  the  judicial  power  of  the 
government  but  that  the  Executive  was  using  all  his 
influence  and  making  every  possible  endeavor  to  se 
cure  a  conviction.  William  Wirt's  celebrated  speech, 
in  which  he  described  the  arrival  of  Burr  at  Blenner- 
hassett  Island,  and  the  events  which  followed,  has 
probably  not  been  equalled  in  the  history  of  the  Ameri 
can  bar.  But  eloquence  in  a  lawyer,  although  a  great 
possession,  after  all,  is  not  so  convincing  as  absolute 
fact.  The  government  tried  to  prove  constructive  trea 
son,  meaning  by  this  that  as  Burr  had  been  accompanied 
by  armed  followers,  it  was  conclusive  proof  that  if  he 
had  come  into  collision  with  the  forces  of  the  United 
States  that  those  arms  would  have  been  used  and  such 
use,  of  course,  would  have  been  considered  as  high 
treason  under  the  law;  but  the  defence  showed  that 
neither  Burr  nor  his  followers  had  committed  any  overt 
act.  Two  witnesses  could  not  be  produced  by  the  gov 
ernment  to  show  that  either  Burr  or  his  followers  had 
committed  any  such  act  against  the  peace  of  the  govern 
ment,  its  property,  or  its  military  defenders. 

Thus  the  case  fell  to  the  ground,  and  those  who  had 
been  indicted  with  him  were  acquitted  of  the  charge  of 
high  treason. 

Then  another  attempt  was  made  to  indict  Burr  and 
his  associates  for  misdemeanor;  but  this,  too,  signally 
failed.  Prompted  by  the  Executive,  the  foreman  of 


278  BLENNERHASSETT 

the  jury  brought  in  a  verdict  of  "  Not  Proven."  This 
form  of  verdict  had  never  been  allowed  in  any  country 
with  the  exception  of  Scotland.  The  idea  of  it  is  to 
show  that  although  the  jurymen  have  no  doubt  in  their 
minds  of  the  guilt  of  the  prisoner,  as  the  fact  has  not 
been  conclusively  proven,  they  return  their  verdict  in 
that  form.  In  other  words,  it  attaches  a  stigma  to 
the  accused  from  which  he  can  never  escape.  But  the 
clerk  of  the  court  knew  that  neither  England  nor  Amer 
ica  recognized  any  such  form  of  verdict,  and,  in  enter 
ing  it  upon  the  records  of  the  court,  instead  of  using  the 
words  "  Not  Proven,"  he  recorded  "  Not  Guilty." 

Thus,  after  years  of  unrest,  Aaron  Burr  found  him 
self  once  more  a  free  man;  free  as  far  as  his  physical 
movements  were  concerned;  free  as  regarded  the  opera 
tions  of  his  own  mind;  free  to  go  and  come  without  re 
straint.  Surely,  he  was  not  enclosed  within  walls  of 
stone  and  his  escape  prevented  by  bars  of  iron;  but, 
when  he  looked  about  him,  he  realized  that  he  was  still 
imprisoned ;  that  all  about  him  were  thousands  of  human 
beings,  and  that  it  would  have  been  easier  to  have  cut 
his  way  through  walls  of  stone  than  to  reach  the  hearts 
of  those  who  surrounded  him.  There  were  no  iron  bars 
to  sever  before  he  could  secure  his  liberty,  but  the 
stern  faces  and  repelling  looks  that  met  him  on  every 
side  formed  a  yet  stronger  barrier  between  him  and 
freedom. 

It  would  require  the  highest  order  of  literary  skill 
to  make  attractive  the  recital  of  the  legal  proceedings 
connected  with  this  State  trial,  but  there  were  many  in 
cidents  relative  thereto  which  admit  of  interesting  por 
trayal. 

After  the  commencement  of  the  trial,  a  revulsion 
took  place  in  the  public  mind,  especially  at  the  South. 
The  President  had  expected  when  Burr  was  arrested 
that  he  would  be  completely  overwhelmed  by  the  odium 
of  treason  cast  upon  him.  He  knew  that  the  Federal- 


BETWEEN  THE  MILLSTONES  279 

ists  would  look  with  gratification  upon  the  downfall  of 
the  man  who  had  caused  the  death  of  their  great  leader. 
To  those  members  of  the  Democratic-Republican  party 
who  supported  the  President,  the  complete  ruin  of 
Aaron  Burr  was  a  political  necessity.  The  culmina 
tion  of  the  presidential  stratagem  was  to  have  been  the 
crushing  of  his  hated  rival  between  these  upper  and 
nether  millstones. 

When  the  period  of  second-thought  came,  many  men 
believed,  if  they  did  not  openly  express  the  opinion, 
that  it  was  not  quite  fair  to  call  a  man  a  traitor  until 
he  had  been  proved  to  be  one  by  due  process  of  law. 

No  man  looked  less  nor  acted  less  like  a  traitor  than 
Aaron  Burr.  He  appeared  in  court  dressed  in  a  suit 
of  black  velvet;  his  shirt  ruffle  was  immaculate;  his 
hair  brushed  back  and  carefully  powdered;  his  shoe- 
buckles  shone  brightly.  Throughout  the  trial,  he  main 
tained  his  notable  equanimity  and  showed  a  marked 
civility  and  graceful  courtesy  even  to  his  relentless 
prosecutors. 

His  rooms  in  the  penitentiary  were  well  furnished 
by  outside  contributions.  Flowers,  fruits,  wines,  and 
every  conceivable  delicacy  in  the  shape  of  food  were 
sent  to  him  by  the  ladies  of  Richmond  and  from  friends 
afar.  Socially,  he  was  still  a  king.  Politically,  out 
side  of  personal  friends,  there  were  "  none  so  poor  to  do 
him  reverence." 

The  great  legal  battle  drew  interested  witnesses 
from  all  parts  of  the  country.  Winfield  Scott,  then  a 
young  man,  but  destined  to  become  famous  as  a  gen 
eral,  listened  to  the  testimony,  as  did  the  youthful 
Washington  Irving  who  afterwards  made  his  mark  in 
the  world  of  literature.  To  some  lady  friends,  the 
latter  wrote  that  he  considered  Colonel  Burr  a  much- 
abused  man.  General  Andrew  Jackson  and  young 
Zachary  Taylor,  future  Presidents  of  the  United  States, 
stood  side  by  side  in  the  crowded  court  room. 


280  BLENNERHASSETT 

The  non-arrival  of  General  Wilkinson  delayed  the 
progress  of  the  trial  some  three  weeks.  The  President 
had  counted  upon  his  testimony  to  compass  Burr's 
complete  discomfiture.  Instead  of  posing,  as  the  Presi 
dent  had  anticipated,  as  the  saviour  of  his  country, 
Wilkinson  made  a  most  contemptible  spectacle  on  the 
witness  stand.  By  adroit  cross-examination,  he  was 
forced  to  confess  that  he  corresponded  in  cipher  with 
Burr.  His  deepest  humiliation  came  when  he  was 
obliged  to  acknowledge  that  he  had  changed  one  of 
Burr's  letters  so  as  to  make  it  appear  treasonable  in  in 
tent. 

In  the  words  of  an  American  historian :  "  Jefferson 
made  himself  the  especial  champion  of  Wilkinson,  but 
no  explanation  could  make  the  latter's  course  square 
with  honorable  dealing,  and  Wilkinson,  the  double 
traitor,  the  bribe  taker,  the  corrupt  servant  of  a  foreign 
government,  remained  at  the  head  of  the  American 
army." 

This  southwestern  affair  has  almost  universally  been 
called  "  Burr's  Conspiracy  "  in  histories,  biographies, 
school-books,  magazines,  and  newspaper  articles;  but 
Burr  asserted,  General  Jackson  believed,  and  books  have 
been  written  which  aimed  to  prove,  that  Wilkinson  was 
its  originator. 

Before  the  trial  began,  Theodosia  arrived  at  Rich 
mond  accompanied  by  her  husband  and  little  Gamp. 
She  had  not  seen  her  father  since  the  affecting  parting 
between  them  in  the  drawing-room  at  Blennerhassett 
Island.  Burr,  on  seeing  him,  clasped  his  little  grandson 
to  his  breast  and  called  him  a  hundred  endearing 
names,  inquired  about  his  health  and  his  studies,  and 
seemed  oblivious  to  the  fact  that  an  iron  door  had  been 
locked  upon  them  by  the  jailer. 

"  But  father,"  said  Theodosia,  unable  to  longer  re 
strain  her  feelings,  "  how  will  this  terrible  affair  end  ?  " 

"  In  an  acquittal,"  Burr  replied,  calmly. 


'THEODOSIA,"  SAID  HE,  IN  CALM,  EVEN  TONES,  "IF  YOU   CAN   BE  FIRM 
I  SHALL  BE  GLAD  TO  HAVE  YOU  STAY  HERE  WITH  ME." 


BETWEEN  THE  MILLSTONES  281 

"  Be  not  too  confident,  dear  father,"  said  Theodosia, 
her  eyes  filling  with  tears;  "  have  you  not  noticed  that 
from  the  day  when  you  stepped  down  from  the  Vice- 
President's  chair,  that  the  hand  of  Fate  has  been 
against  you?  " 

'This  time  it  will  be  different,"  said  Burr.  "  They 
have  no  case." 

"  Father,"  cried  Theodosia,  throwing  her  arms  about 
his  neck,  "  you  know  how  much  I  love  you !  I  rever 
ence  you  and,  may  God  forgive  me,  it  would  take  but 
little  more  to  make  me  worship  you;  but,  despite  all 
this,  I  fear,  I  fear." 

Burr  disengaged  himself  from  her  embrace  and  fixed 
those  marvellous  eyes  upon  her.  "  Theodosia,"  said 
he,  in  calm,  even  tones,  "  if  you  can  be  firm  I  should 
be  glad  to  have  you  stay  here  with  me.  If,  during 
the  trial,  your  face  is  calm  and  untroubled  to  look  upon, 
it  will  give  me  aid  and  comfort;  but  if  you  cannot  be 
firm  and  resolute  and  a  credit  to  my  system  of  in 
struction,  it  were  better  for  you  to  return  home  and 
await  the  result  there." 

So  this  little  Spartan  woman  wiped  the  tears  from 
her  eyes,  steeled  her  heart,  and  never  by  look  or  action 
betrayed  her  inward  thoughts  or  feelings  until  the 
verdict  was  recorded.  Then,  with  a  glad  cry,  she  broke 
the  steel  bars  that  had  bound  her  heart  and  fell  in  a 
swoon  upon  the  floor  of  the  court  room. 

Kate  Embleton,  like  Theodosia,  was  in  court  every 
day  during  the  long  and  tedious  trial.  Little  Gamp  had 
been  committed  to  her  charge  and  many  times  during 
each  day  did  Burr's  eyes  turn  to  look  upon  the  face  of 
his  beloved  grandson;  but  those  whose  minds  were 
evil  and  whose  tongues  were  scandal-scarred,  did  not 
lose  this  good  opportunity  to  secretly  express  their 
opinion  that  it  was  the  face  of  the  pretty  woman  and 
not  that  of  the  child  that  attracted  the  great  conspira 
tor's  attention. 


282  BLENNERHASSETT 

While  William  Wirt  was  likening  Aaron  Burr  to  the 
serpent  that  entered  the  garden  of  Eden  and  tempted 
our  Mother  Eve,  Blennerhassett,  the  subject  of  the 
panegyric,  was  making  entries  in  his  journal  and  writ 
ing  letters  to  friends  in  direct  contradiction  to  the  posi 
tion  assumed  by  his  counsel.  His  hopes  of  gaining  honor, 
fame,  and  fabulous  wealth  were  gone;  but  he  had  not 
given  up  the  hope  of  getting  back,  with  interest,  the 
money  he  had  invested  in  the  enterprise.  Of  course, 
if  he  had  not  met  Burr,  the  drunken  Ohio  militia  would 
never  have  pillaged  his  house  and  set  it  on  fire.  But 
he  often  afterwards  thought,  with  a  shudder,  if  he  had 
never  seen  Burr,  that  his  house,  his  family,  and  he 
himself  might  have  been  victims  of  the  great  flood  that 
came  several  years  later,  washing  away  in  its  ruthless 
waste  every  building  from  the  island. 

On  the  evening  of  the  day  when  the  verdict  was  ren 
dered,  a  complimentary  dinner  was  given  by  Burr  to  his 
counsel  and  some  close  personal  friends  who  were  in 
Richmond.  Felicitations  were  in  order  and  many  were 
the  toasts  that  were  drunk  in  commemoration  of  the 
signal  victory  won  by  the  accused.  Burr  and  some  of 
his  friends  retired  at  a  late  hour,  but  at  the  suggestion 
of  Luther  Martin,  who  was  a  devotee  of  the  dinner 
table,  and  particularly  of  the  wine  bottles  that  graced 
it,  the  conviviality  was  kept  up  far  into  the  morning 
hours.  Anecdote  after  anecdote  about  Burr  followed 
each  other  in  rapid  succession.  His  family,  his  child 
hood,  his  education,  his  military  exploits,  his  legal  suc 
cesses,  his  political  career,  and  his  social  reputation 
furnished  abundant  food  for  comment. 

"  I  heard  a  story  once,"  said  one  of  the  guests, 
"  about  an  incident  that  took  place  at  a  murder  trial. 
I  have  always  wondered  whether  it  were  true  or  not,  but 
have  had  a  delicacy  about  asking  the  Colonel  directly." 

"  I  know  what  you  mean,"  said  Martin.  "  Burr  told 
me  about  it.  Yes,  it  was  actually  true." 


"YOU    ARE    THE    REAL    MURDERER." 


BETWEEN  THE  MILLSTONES  283 

The  great  lawyer  rose  to  his  feet  with  difficulty. 
Like  many  noted  legal  luminaries  and  celebrated  states 
men  who  have  flourished  before  and  since  his  time, 
Luther  Martin  never  spoke  so  well  as  when  under  the 
influence  of  stimulants. 

"  It  was  a  murder  case,"  he  began,  "  and  Burr 
formed  the  opinion  that  the  principal  witness  for  the 
prosecution  was  the  real  murderer,  and  not  the  person 
who  had  been  accused.  The  trial  took  place  on  a 
stormy  day  in  winter  and  the  court  room  became  quite 
dark.  The  judge  did  not  wish  to  adjourn  the  court 
until  certain  evidence  had  been  given  and  so  candles 
were  ordered  to  be  brought  in.  They  were  placed  in 
what  was  considered  the  most  advantageous  positions, 
but  cast,  of  course,  only  a  glimmering  light  through 
the  large  court  room.  It  so  happened  that  by  the  ar 
rangement,  the  face  of  the  principal  witness  for  the 
prosecution  was  in  the  shade.  He  was  being  cross- 
examined  by  Colonel  Burr,  who  was  not  satisfied  be 
cause  he  could  not  see  the  face  of  the  witness.  He 
then  determined  upon  a  great  coup  which  required  as 
much  nerve  to  perform  in  a  crowded  court  room  as 
would  have  been  demanded  to  lead  a  charge  of  Con 
tinental  militia  against  a  regiment  of  British  regu 
lars.  But  Burr  thought  nothing  of  this,  and  he  also 
thought  he  knew  his  man.  He  took  two  candles  from 
the  table  at  which  he  had  been  sitting,  and  going  across 
the  room,  faced  the  witness,  holding  the  candles  high  in 
the  air  so  that  the  light  from  them  fell  directly  upon 
his  face.  He  cried  in  tones  which  rang  through  the 
court  room : 

"  '  What  you  have  said  is  untrue,  sir,  from  first  to 
last,  and  you  know  it !  I  will  ask  you  one  more  ques 
tion,  but  before  doing  so,  I  declare  in  the  face  of  this 
assemblage  and  before  the  judge  and  jury  here  sitting, 
that  it  is  my  honest  belief  that  you  are  the  real  mur 
derer  ! ' 


284  BLENNERHASSETT 

"  Fixing  his  piercing  eyes  upon  the  witness  in  the 
dock,  he  cried,  '  Have  I  spoken  the  truth  ?  ' 

"  The  man  thus  confronted,  and  thus  boldly  accused, 
lost  his  self-possession ;  his  nerve  gave  way,  and  he  fell 
in  a  state  of  collapse  in  the  witness-stand.  When  he 
revived,  his  protestations  and  exclamations  were  so 
confused  and  contradictory,  and  in  themselves  such  evi 
dence  of  his  guilt,  that  he  was  remanded  into  custody 
by  the  judge  and  at  a  later  day  was  proven  guilty  of 
the  murder  and  suffered  the  fate  he  deserved." 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

THE  MEANEST  MAN  IN  AMERICA 

THE  morning  after  the  complimentary  dinner 
given  by  Aaron  Burr  to  his  counsel,  quite  a 
large  number  of  officers  connected  with  the 
United  States  army  was  gathered  at  one  of  the  lead 
ing  taverns  in  the  city  of  Richmond. 

The  trial  of  Burr  had  awakened  great  interest  in  mili 
tary  circles.  He  had  both  friends  and  foes  in  the  army, 
and  each  class  was  much  interested  in  the  trial  and  its 
outcome,  and  many  had  obtained  furloughs  in  order  that 
they  might  visit  Richmond.  Besides  these,  there  were 
many  old  army  friends  of  Burr  who  had  known  him 
during  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  who  were  enough 
interested  in  him  to  make  the  trip. 

Among  those  gathered  at  the  tavern  in  question  was 
General  Andrew  Jackson  of  Tennessee.  He  had  been 
Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  his  State  and  had 
visited  Richmond  more  from  a  legal  than  from  a  mili 
tary  point  of  view.  He  was  acquainted  with  Chief  Jus 
tice  Marshall  and  wished  to  witness  his  conduct  of  this 
celebrated  case. 

The  fiery  old  Tennesseean  was  seated  in  the  big  room 
of  the  tavern.  Near  him  sat  Zachary  Taylor  and  young 
Winfield  Scott,  who,  although  not  yet  in  the  regular 
army,  contemplated  a  military  career.  There  was  also 
present  Colonel  Claiborne  who,  it  will  be  remembered, 
was  attached  to  that  portion  of  the  army  under  com 
mand  of  General  James  Wilkinson.  It  will  be  noticed 
by  the  change  in  his  title  that  the  former  Captain  Clai- 

285 


286  BLENNERHASSETT 

borne  had  profited  by  his  military  connection  with 
General  Wilkinson.  He  knew  himself  that  he  had  also 
profited  financially  to  a  great  extent.  This  latter  fact 
was  known  to  many  others  but,  from  motives  of  self- 
interest  or  expediency,  they  kept  their  knowledge  to 
themselves. 

Colonel  Claiborne  had  come  to  Richmond,  in  com 
pany  with  General  Wilkinson,  expecting  to  be  called  as 
a  witness  to  give  corroboration  to  the  General's  testi 
mony;  but,  it  having  come  to  the  ears  of  the  prosecu 
tion  that  if  Claiborne  were  put  upon  the  stand  he  would 
be  subjected  to  a  very  severe  cross-examination  which 
might  disclose  certain  facts  that  would  disparage  the 
testimony  of  their  principal  witness,  Claiborne  had  been 
advised  to  leave  the  city  quietly,  which  he  had  done. 
His  appearance  at  the  tavern  was  the  first  that  had  been 
seen  of  him  since  the  day  before  General  Wilkinson 
stepped  upon  the  witness-stand. 

As  is  well  known,  General  Jackson  was  a  strong  par 
tisan.  He  had  believed  in  Burr's  plan  for  driving  the 
hated  Spaniard  from  what  seemed  destined  to  become 
American  soil.  Besides,  he  was  well  acquainted  with 
General  Wilkinson's  past  career  and  did  not  believe  that 
the  leopard  had  changed  his  spots. 

Colonel  Claiborne  had  been  introduced  to  General 
Jackson  on  his  arrival  in  Richmond,  and  thought  it 
proper  to  approach  him  and  utter  the  usual  compli 
mentary  remarks  which  the  General  prized  so  much. 

'  You  have  been  out  of  town,"  said  General  Jackson. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Colonel  Claiborne,  "  I  have  been  to 
Washington." 

"  Did  you  notice  while  there,"  asked  Jackson,  "  that 
the  hitching-post  which  President  Jefferson  used  on  the 
day  he  was  inaugurated  had  been  cut  down  and  carried 
away  for  keepsakes?  " 

The  fact  was  that  Colonel  Claiborne  had  not  been  in 
Washington,  but  had  been  hiding  in  a  Virginia  town 


MEANEST  MAN  IN  AMERICA  287 

about  twenty  miles  from  Richmond.  Not  suspecting 
the  General's  purpose,  he  replied : 

''  Yes,  I  was  told  so  one  day  when  I  was  at  the  Capi 
tol." 

The  General  nodded  and  a  few  minutes  later  Colonel 
Claiborne  was  talking  to  some  military  friends  in 
another  part  of  the  room.  Turning  to  Zachary  Taylor, 
who  stood  near  him,  Jackson  said,  in  an  under 
tone: 

"  What  an  infernal  liar!  I  was  in  Washington  just 
before  I  came  to  Richmond  and  the  post  stood  there 
just  the  same  as  ever." 

As  was  common  among  military  men  when  off  duty, 
stimulants  were  in  active  demand,  and  the  conversation 
waxed  louder  and  louder.  A  large  party  was  gathered 
about  the  chair  in  which  General  Jackson  sat,  listening 
with  interest  to  his  comments  upon  men  and  things. 
One  of  the  party  asked  Jackson  what  he  thought  of 
General  Wilkinson's  testimony. 

"  If  I  did  not  know  the  man,"  was  his  reply,  "  I 
might  have  been  led  to  think  he  was  telling  the  truth, 
but  considering  what  I  know  about  him,  I  don't  believe 
he  could  tell  it  if  he  tried." 

"  I  do  not  think  you  ought  to  make  such  a  statement 
as  that,  General,"  said  Captain  McVea,  a  North  Caro 
linian,  "  unless  you  have  strong  evidence  upon  which 
to  base  such  an  opinion." 

"You  don't,  eh?"  said  the  choleric  old  gentleman, 
"  well,  supposing  I  have  the  best  of  evidence  upon 
which  to  base  my  opinion,  what  would  you  say  to 
that?" 

"  I  should  say,"  replied  the  Captain,  very  politely, 
"  that  I  should  like  to  hear  the  evidence  before  accept 
ing  the  opinion." 

"  You  are  a  very  cautious  young  man,"  remarked 
General  Jackson. 

"  General  Wilkinson  came  of  good  family,"  answered 


288  BLENNERHASSETT 

Captain  McVea,  apparently  not  noticing  Jackson's  last 
words. 

"  I  know  he  did,"  the  General  replied,  "  and  no  doubt 
his  mother  prayed  that  he  might  grow  up  to  be  a  great 
and  good  man  and  have  a  successful  and  honorable 
career.  All  good  mothers  do  that.  I  hope  she  is  not 
living  now,  for  I  am  afraid  she  would  be  terribly  dis 
appointed  in  her  offspring." 

"  What  you  have  said,  General  Jackson,  is  your  opin 
ion,  but  it  does  not  supply  the  evidence  that  I  should 
like  to  hear." 

The  General  looked  about  the  room.  Suddenly  his 
face  lighted  up.  "  Hardin !  "  he  cried  out  in  his  sten 
torian  voice,  "  come  here !  " 

The  man  addressed  was  apparently  more  than  sixty 
years  of  age.  He  had  a  stern,  rugged  face  which 
showed  that  he  had  borne  his  share  of  the  troubles  and 
exigencies  of  frontier  life.  He  approached  General 
Jackson.  "  Here,  Hardin,"  said  the  latter,  "  is  a  mem 
ber  of  the  army,  Captain  McVea,  I  believe  your  name 
is — make  you  acquainted  with  Colonel  Hardin  of  Ken 
tucky,  my  sister  State." 

A  chair  was  offered  to  Colonel  Hardin  and  he  sat 
down  beside  the  General.  "  I  have  been  expressing  my 
opinion  rather  freely,  perhaps,  about  our  mutual  ac 
quaintance,  General  Wilkinson,  and  this  young  man 
thinks  I  have  spoken  a  little  too  harshly.  Now  will  you 
oblige  me  by  telling  this  company  what  you  know  about 
Jim  Wilkinson?" 

"  I  thought,"  said  Hardin,  "  that  that  story  had 
grown  old  and  was  forgotten,  but  I  suppose  some  of  the 
younger  members  of  the  army  have  never  heard  it.  To 
oblige  you,  General,  I  will  tell  the  story  over  again, 
but  I  never  like  to  do  it.  It  calls  up  very  unpleasant 
memories." 

Nearly  every  man  in  the  room  had  been  attracted  by 
General  Jackson's  loud  call  for  Colonel  Hardin,  and 


MEANEST  MAN  IN  AMERICA  289 

all  stood  expectantly  awaiting  the  story,  which,  al 
though  known  to  some  of  the  older  ones,  was  new  to 
the  greater  part  of  those  present.  Colonel  Hardin  spoke 
in  a  straightforward,  business-like  way : 

"  On  the  night  before  the  battle  of  Saratoga,  I  made 
a  reconnoissance  and  learned  quite  accurately  the  num 
ber  and  position  of  the  enemy.  I  was  on  my  way  to 
the  headquarters  of  General  Gates  to  give  him  the  par 
ticulars  I  had  gained,  when  I  met  Wilkinson,  who,  in 
company  with  some  brother  officers,  was  returning 
from  a  drinking  bout.  I  informed  Wilkinson  of  my 
discovery,  and,  being  anxious  to  reach  my  regiment, 
asked  him  to  carry  the  news  to  General  Gates.  Wil 
kinson  promised  to  do  this,  and  he  kept  his  promise; 
but  in  his  recital  he  made  no  mention  of  me,  taking  to 
himself  all  the  credit  for  the  results  secured  by  the  re 
connoitre." 

Here  General  Jackson  could  restrain  his  feelings  no 
longer :  "  The  next  day  the  battle  took  place  and  the 
page  of  American  history  which  records  it  is  bright 
with  the  light  of  victory.  It  is  shameful  that  an  ignoble 
act  should  be  so  closely  connected  with  an  illustrious 
achievement !  " 

After  this  interruption,  Colonel  Hardin  continued  his 
narrative :  "  General  Gates  naturally  felt  greatly  in 
debted  to  Wilkinson.  He  chose  him  to  bear  his  report 
of  the  victory  to  Congress  then  sitting  at  York,  Pennsyl 
vania.  Wilkinson  was  three  weeks  making  the  trip  and 
the  news  was  a  week  old  when  he  delivered  the  report. 
At  the  same  time,  he  also  presented  a  letter  to  Con 
gress  which  Gates  had  intrusted  to  him.  It  contained  a 
recommendation  from  the  General  that  Wilkinson  be 
made  a  brigadier-general  as  well  as  a  suggestion  that 
Congress  should  further  reward  him  by  presenting  him 
with  a  sword." 

Here  General  Jackson's  indignation  again  got  be 
yond  bounds.  "  If  it  had  been  my  duty  to  present  the 


290  BLENNERHASSETT 

sword  to  him,  I  would  have  had  it  made  into  a  cork 
screw  first."  This  remark  drew  forth  a  hearty  laugh 
from  the  greater  part  of  the  company. 

Hardin  continued :  "  The  rank  of  brevet  brigadier- 
general  was  accorded  him,  but  the  resolution  relating  to 
the  sword  was  defeated.  This  adverse  action  was  due 
to  a  remark  made  during  the  debate  by  Doctor  John 
Witherspoon.  In  his  broad  Scotch  accent,  he  convulsed 
the  house  by  saying — '  I  think  ye'd  better  gie  the  lad 
a  pair  of  spurs.' ' 

"  You  can't  fool  a  Scotchman,"  cried  Jackson,  "  and 
it  turned  out  that  Wilkinson  could  not  fool  his  brother 
officers.  News  traveled  slowly  in  those  days,  but  Wil 
kinson's  contemptible  act  was  soon  noised  throughout 
the  country  and  forty-nine  brigadier-generals  of  the 
Continental  army  joined  in  a  protest  to  Congress 
against  his  being  allowed  to  retain  a  rank  so  dishonor 
ably  acquired.  The  force  of  public  opinion  was  too 
much  for  Wilkinson  and  he  was  obliged  to  resign  his 
brevet.  If  my  name  had  been  George  Washington, 
I  would  have  had  him  cashiered  and  dismissed  the  ser 
vice.  Excuse  me,  Colonel,"  he  said,  turning  to  Hardin, 
"  for  taking  the  words  out  of  your  mouth,  but  I  could 
not  help  it." 

"  I  think  you  can  tell  the  rest  of  it,  General,  much 
better  than  I  can,"  said  Hardin. 

"  In  spite  of  all,"  Jackson  went  on,  "  he  profited  by 
his  acts  of  meanness.  He  was  made  Adjutant-General, 
then  Secretary  of  the  Board  of  War  of  which  Gates 
was  a  member." 

"  His  conduct  was  surely  very  reprehensible,"  re 
marked  Captain  McVea,  "  but  the  effect  of  one  wrong 
step  may  often  be  retrieved  by  subsequent  good  ones." 

"My  young  friend,"  said  Jackson,  restraining  his 
rapidly  rising  wrath,  "you  evidently  do  not  know 
much  about  the  career  of  the  man  whose  cause  you  are 
supporting.  Instead  of  doing  better,  he  went  from  bad 


MEANEST  MAN  IN  AMERICA  291 

to  worse,  and  he  has  never  stopped  in  his  downward 
course.  Perhaps  you  do  not  know  that  he  was  con 
nected  with  the  Conway  Cabal,  the  purpose  of  which 
was  to  have  Gates  supersede  Washington ;  but  the  rum 
bottle  played  him  false  again,  and,  while  under  its 
influence,  he  let  the  cat  out  of  the  bag  to  Lord  Stirling, 
and  the  scheme,  to  call  it  by  no  worse  name,  was  frus 
trated."  The  General  now  grew  eloquent.  He  was  full 
of  his  subject  and  could  retain  a  sitting  posture  no 
longer.  He  arose,  and  as  he  did  so  the  company  fell 
back  from  too  close  proximity  to  his  outstretched  arms. 
Raising  his  voice  until  it  could  have  been  heard  upon 
the  street  by  passers-by,  he  said :  "  From  the  time 
Wilkinson  told  the  cowardly  lie  by  which  he  sought  to 
deprive  my  brave  brother  officer  here,"  pointing  to 
Hardin,  "  of  the  credit  due  him,  he  seems  to  have  lost 
all  sense  of  moral  discrimination.  The  voice  of  his 
conscience  is  either  silent  or  dead.  From  that  time,  he 
has  seemed  to  regard  the  world  as  his  oyster  to  be 
opened  either  by  his  mendacious  tongue  or  his  dis 
honored  sword." 

Captain  McVea  had  apparently  been  much  impressed 
by  the  statements  made  by  Colonel  Hardin  and  General 
Jackson,  but  he  did  not  choose  to  acknowledge  it  so 
publicly.  Thinking  to  change  the  subject,  he  asked, 
somewhat  irrelevantly. 

"  How  did  he  get  his  appointment  in  the  army?  " 
"  He  was  appointed  by  the  great  and  good  George 
Washington,"  answered  General  Jackson.  "  One  of  the 
supporters  of  his  application  gave  as  a  reason  for  en 
dorsing  him  that — when  Wilkinson  was  unemployed 
he  was  dangerous  to  public  quiet.  But  Washington 
seems  to  have  taken  stock  in  him.  He  made  him  a 
major-general  and  afterwards  appointed  him  to  be 
commander  of  the  army  to  succeed  that  honest  old  dare 
devil  soldier,  Mad  Anthony  Wayne.  That  was  going 
down  rather  than  up.  As  I  said  before,  Wilkinson  prof- 


292  BLENNERHASSETT 

ited  more  by  his  treachery  than  honest  men  have  by 
bravery.  I  think  he  is  the  meanest  man  that  America 
has  ever  produced  and  God  forbid  that  she  should  ever 
turn  out  another  like  him.  Some  one  of  you  gentlemen 
asked  me  my  opinion,  and  I  have  given  it.  I  think  he 
is  the  meanest  man  in  America,  and,  if  reports  are  true, 
those  who  are  intimately  associated  with  him  are  not 
much  better." 

As  these  words  fell  from  General  Jackson's  lips,  more 
than  half  of  the  company  turned  and  looked  directly  at 
Colonel  Claiborne,  for  the  fact  of  his  position  :on 
General  Wilkinson's  staff  was  well  known  to  them. 
The  Colonel  had  heard  the  words  uttered  by  General 
Jackson,  but  probably  would  not  have  noticed  them  had 
he  not  so  suddenly  become  the  subject  of  such  close 
inspection.  The  color  rose  in  his  cheeks  and  his  lips 
trembled.  Pushing  his  way  through  the  crowd  until 
he  stood  before  Jackson,  he  said, 

"  Did  I  understand  your  last  remark  ?  " 

"  Ton  honor,  I  don't  know,"  was  the  General's  re 
ply,  "  I  am  not  responsible  for  your  understanding." 

"  Will  you  kindly  repeat  it,"  asked  the  Colonel, 
smothering  his  rising  indignation. 

"  Certainly,"  answered  General  Jackson,  "  I  said 
substantially  that  Wilkinson  was  a  rascal  and  many 
of  those  who  are  about  him  are  not  much  better  than 
he  is." 

"  Did  you  intend  anything  personal  by  that?  "  asked 
Colonel  Claiborne. 

"  I  can't  say,"  rejoined  the  General,  "  if  the  remark 
hits  you,  it  must  have  been  intended  for  you." 

"  I  consider  your  accusation  altogether  too  sweeping 
in  its  nature,  and  I  must  request  that  you  say  to  these 
gentlemen  that  you  did  not  intend  to  call  me  a 
rascal." 

"  I  never  said  I  did,"  cried  Jackson.  "  but  as  you  are 
so  particular  about  the  language  I  used,  I  will  inform 


MEANEST  MAN  IN  AMERICA  293 

the  company  here  assembled  that  I  have  no  direct  proof 
that  you  are  a  rascal  but  I  have  conclusive  evidence  that 
you  are  something  else.  Didn't  you  say  that  you  had 
been  in  Washington  within  the  past  fortnight  ?  " 

;'Yes,"  replied  Claiborne,  "but  what  of  that?" 

"  Oh,  that's  all  right,"  replied  Jackson,  "  but  when 
I  asked  you  about  the  Jeffersonian  hitching-post  being 
cut  up  for  relics,  you  said  that  you  heard  about  it  when 
you  were  at  the  Capitol.  Now  I  happen  to  know  that 
the  post  is  there  all  right,  and  my  private  opinion  is, 
using  no  names,  of  course,  that  somebody  is  a  liar." 

;<  You  might  as  well  use  my  name,"  cried  Claiborne, 
losing  control  of  himself. 

"  Well,  then,  if  you  wish  it,  Colonel  Claiborne,"  said 
the  General,  "  in  the  presence  of  the  assembled  com 
pany,  I  will  say  that  when  you  told  me  you  had  been 
in  Washington  during  the  past  fortnight,  you  lied. 
If  you  cannot  understand  that,  I  will  try  to  make  it 
more  explicit." 

"  Such  language,"  exclaimed  Claiborne,  "  in  the 
presence  of  witnesses,  entitles  me  to  that  satisfaction 
which  no  man  of  honor  can  refuse  to  grant  me." 

"  I  will  give  you  all  the  satisfaction  you  want,"  re 
plied  the  General,  slowly  and  deliberately.  "  In  what 
form  do  you  want  it?  " 

"  Either  a  public  apology,"  said  Colonel  Claiborne, 
"  before  the  company  present,  or  you  will  receive  a  mes 
sage  from  me." 

"  Then  deliver  your  message  right  here  and  now, 
Colonel  Claiborne.  I  suppose  you  mean  that  I  must 
fight  you.  Well  and  good."  Turning  to  young  Taylor, 
he  said :  "  Come,  Zachary,  you  must  be  my  second.  You 
are  going  to  join  the  army  and  you  may  as  well  get 
used  to  the  sight  of  blood.  Colonel  Claiborne,  I  pre 
sume  you  can  find  some  friend  to  act  for  you." 

The  Colonel  spoke  to  several  persons  but  they  ex 
cused  themselves  on  various  grounds.  At  last,  of  his 


294  BLENNERHASSETT 

own  volition,  Captain  McVea  approached  Colonel  Clai- 
borne  and  offered  his  services  which  were  gladly  ac 
cepted. 

"  Come  here,  Zachary,"  said  the  General,  grasping 
his  arm  and  leading  him  out  of  ear-shot  of  the  com 
pany,  "  you  must  insist  on  certain  points.  Being  the 
challenged  party,  I  have  the  right  to  select  the  weapons 
and  I  choose  broadswords." 

"  Broadswords !  "  cried  Taylor,  "  why !  you  don't 
know  how  to  use  one." 

"  Neither  does  he,"  said  the  General  with  a  laugh, 
"  if  I  say  pistols  or  rifles,  I  shall  be  sure  to  kill  him  for 
I  am  a  dead  shot.  If  I  say  swords,  such  as  he  carries, 
he  will  be  sure  to  kill  me  for  I  had  as  soon  fight  with  a 
caseknife  as  one  of  those  frog  stickers;  and  mind  you, 
Taylor,  we  must  be  faced  ten  paces  apart.  There  must 
be  a  master  of  ceremonies,  or  referee — I  think  young 
Scott  will  be  willing  to  act — and  when  the  master  says 
Ready  we  are  to  advance  and  engage.  As  soon  as 
either  is  wounded,  the  master  is  to  call  Time  and  that 
will  give  us  a  chance  to  rest  and  examine  the  nature  of 
the  wound." 

"  And  it  will  give  us  seconds  a  chance,"  said  Taylor, 
"  to  see  if  an  amicable  adjustment  of  the  difficulty  can 
not  be  made." 

"  Well,  you  seconds  can  do  all  the  talking  you  want 
to,"  the  General  rejoined,  "  but  when  I  go  into  a  fight, 
with  one  man,  or  a  regiment,  I  mean  to  win  or  die  in 
the  attempt." 

The  insulting  epithet  which  had  been  so  publicly 
applied  and  the  ensuing  challenge  which  had  been  so 
publicly  given  and  accepted,  with  the  news  of  the  im 
pending  duel,  spread  over  the  city  like  wildfire.  The 
time  agreed  upon  was  the  next  morning  at  daybreak, 
and  when  it  arrived  the  principals  and  their  seconds 
had  reached  the  ground  where  they  found  a  large  body 
of  spectators  in  attendance.  Winfield  Scott  had  agreed 


MEANEST  MAN  IN  AMERICA  295 

to  act  as  referee  and  he  took  his  position  about  midway 
between  the  contestants.  A  long  search  had  failed  to 
find  any  broadswords  in  the  city,  but,  in  a  gunsmith's 
shop,  a  pair  of  old-fashioned  cutlasses  were  found 
which,  after  being  sharpened,  were  shown  to  General 
Jackson  and  he  declared  they  would  answer  the  pur 
pose  splendidly. 

A  hundred  pairs  of  eyes  were  fastened  intently  upon 
the  duellists  as  they  stood  at  the  stated  distance  of  ten 
paces  apart.  Winfield  Scott  uttered  the  word 
"  Ready !  "  No  sooner  had  it  fallen  from  his  lips,  when 
Jackson,  grasping  his  cutlass,  crouched  down  as  though 
he  were  on  the  track  of  an  Indian  brave  and  advanced 
in  a  stealthy  but  speedy  manner  towards  his  antagonist. 
The  latter  was  evidently  bewildered  for  he  did  not  know 
how  to  meet  the  attack.  He  advanced  a  few  steps  to 
wards  the  General,  then  stood  motionless.  With  a  loud 
yell  that  startled  his  hearers,  the  General  straightened 
up  and  made  a  move  as  if  to  retreat.  Colonel  Claiborne 
involuntarily  started  forward  but  the  General  did  not 
retreat  far.  With  his  cutlass  extended,  he  rushed  upon 
his  opponent  and,  before  the  latter  could  parry  the 
blow,  gave  him  a  severe  thrust  in  the  left  arm. 

"  Time !  "  called  the  referee,  and  the  contestants  re 
turned  to  their  posts.  An  examination  of  the  wound 
showed  that,  although  severe,  it  was  not  serious,  even 
though  the  blood  flowed  freely.  A  handkerchief  was 
tied  about  the  injured  arm,  and  Colonel  Claiborne  stood 
once  more  at  his  post.  Again,  the  referee  called  out 
"  Ready !  "  This  time  the  General  astonished  both  the 
spectators  and  his  opponent.  Grasping  his  cutlass  in 
both  hands,  he  swung  it  from  right  to  left  as  though 
it  were  a  scythe,  and  advanced  rapidly  towards  Colonel 
Claiborne  who  was  still  more  at  a  loss  than  before  to 
know  how  to  meet  his  on-coming  assailant.  Weakened 
by  the  loss  of  blood,  and  sure  that  his  doom  was 
sealed,  his  nerve  gave  way,  and  he  turned  and  incon- 


296  BLENNERHASSETT 

tinently  fled  to  the  woods,  closely  pursued  by  the  seem 
ingly  enraged  General. 

"Time!"  cried  the  referee  at  the  top  of  his  voice. 
The  General  paid  no  attention  but  continued  his  course, 
still  brandishing  his  cutlass  from  right  to  left.  Both 
seconds  then  joined  in  hot  pursuit.  Colonel  Claiborne 
was  much  lighter  in  weight  and  swifter  of  foot  than 
his  older  competitor.  He  reached  the  woods  and  was 
soon  lost  to  sight.  The  seconds  caught  up  with  the 
General  and  taking  him  by  the  arms,  induced  him  to 
return  to  the  duelling  ground.  When  he  reached  it,  the 
whole  company  of  spectators  gathered  about  him  and  he 
burst  into  a  hearty  laugh.  Turning  to  Taylor,  he  said : 

"  I  only  meant  to  have  some  fun  with  him.  That 
man  has  a  guilty  conscience,  and  no  man  who  has  a 
guilty  conscience  can  ever  hope  to  come  out  first  best 
in  a  duel.  Thrice  is  he  armed  who  hath  his  quarrel 
just.  I  might  mention  names  but  I  will  not,  but  when  a 
man  kills  his  defamer  in  a  duel  and  then  successfully 
fights,  almost  single-handed,  all  the  lawyers  that  the 
government  can  bring  against  him,  I  think  he  is  a  pretty 
smart  fellow." 

The  entire  company  returned  to  the  tavern,  where 
General  Jackson's  health  was  drunk  at  his  expense.  In 
a  short  time  he  again  waxed  eloquent  and  cried  out  in  a 
voice  that  sounded  like  thunder : 

"  By  the  Eternal !  If  I  could  have  my  way  with 
Wilkinson  and  that  cub  of  his,  I'd  take  away  their 
swords,  tear  off  their  epaulets  and  stripes,  and  drive 
them  out  of  town  to  the  tune  of  the  Rogues'  March." 

The  next  day,  he  wrote  a  letter  to  a  friend  in  Nash 
ville  giving  a  ludicrous  account  of  the  duel.  "  My  an 
tagonist,"  he  wrote,  "  started  due  West  about  half-past 
six  A.  M.  He  is  evidently  still  on  the  way,  no  word 
having  been  received  from  him  at  Richmond.  He,  no 
doubt,  thinks  I  am  still  on  his  track,  armed  with  the 
avenging  cutlass.  If  you  should  happen  to  meet  him, 


MEANEST  MAN  IN  AMERICA  297 

you  can  assure  him  that  I  am  going  to  Washington  to 
make  sure  about  that  hitching-post,  and  that  I  shall  not 
come  West  again  for  several  weeks,  which  will  give  him 
plenty  of  time  to  get  back  to  New  Orleans  in  safety  so 
as  to  make  arrangements  for  the  proper  reception  of  the 
heroic  Wilkinson." 


CHAPTER  XXV 

THE  CITY  OF  LUTETIA 

FIFTY  years  before  the  Christian  Era,  Julius 
Caesar,  at  the  head  of  his  victorious  Roman  le 
gions,  ravaged  Ancient  Gaul,  and,  after  defeat 
ing  Vercingetorix,  encamped  in  and  about  the  City  of 
Lutetia  of  which  he  gives  an  account  in  his  Commen 
taries.  Eighteen  hundred  and  fifty  years  thereafter, 
another  great  conqueror,  the  peer  of  Caesar,  made  a 
great  fete  at  Paris,  the  capital  of  the  country  of  which 
he,  Napoleon,  was  emperor,  even  as  Caesar  had  been 
emperor  of  Rome. 

History  had  repeated  itself;  or,  rather,  had  reversed 
itself,  for  he  had  gone  forth  from  the  City  of  Paris, 
built  on  the  site  of  the  ancient  City  of  Lutetia,  and  the 
victorious  legions  of  France  had,  in  their  turn,  ravaged 
the  domain  which  had  been  the  seat  of  the  Roman  Em 
pire  under  Caesar. 

On  the  evening  of  this  festal  day,  the  palace  of  St. 
Cloud  was  ablaze  with  light.  The  people  of  France, 
for  Paris  was  France,  were  intoxicated  with  enthusi 
asm.  During  the  day,  the  son  of  the  Emperor  had  been 
christened  and  proclaimed  King  of  Rome. 

Aaron  Burr  was  one  of  the  immense  concourse  of 
spectators  that  stood  in  the  pouring  rain  and  gazed 
upon  the  illuminated  palace.  He  had  been  an  enforced 
resident  of  Paris  for  twenty  months,  when,  of  his  own 
free  will,  he  would  have  limited  his  stay  to  a  fort 
night — possibly  a  month.  Why  had  he  remained  so 
long?  It  is  inconceivable  that  the  French  authorities 

298 


THE  CITY  OF  LUTETIA       299 

should  have  insisted  upon  retaining  within  their  bor 
ders  a  man  who  so  ardently  desired  to  leave  them  be 
hind  him. 

But  it  was  not  the  fault  of  the  French  government 
that  he  was  denied  the  desired  passports.  The  opposi 
tion  came  from  a  different  source .•  General  John  Arm 
strong  who  had  been  a  classmate  of  Burr  at  Princeton 
and  who  was  now  United  States  Minister  to  France; 
Jonathan  Russell,  who  was  charge  d'affaires  at  Paris; 
and  Mr.  McRae,  Consul  at  Paris,  who  had  been  one  of 
the  counsel  for  the  prosecution  at  Burr's  trial  for  high 
treason,  formed  the  trio  which  combined  their  forces 
and  used  every  endeavor  to  prevent  Burr's  return  to 
his  native  land. 

When  one  reflects,  if  he  had  been  allowed  to  leave 
France  when  he  desired,  that  his  daughter  Theodosia 
might  have  been  spared  to  be  with  him  and  care  for  him 
in  his  declining  years  and  that  her  own  valuable  life 
and  that  of  her  son  might  have  been  saved,  the  responsi 
bility  of  these  three  political  enemies  of  Burr  for  these 
sad  occurrences  becomes  manifest.  It  should  have 
caused  them  a  lifelong  regret,  being  an  unnecessary 
sacrifice  for  which  there  could  be  no  adequate  requital 
in  this  world. 

To  the  average  mind  exile  is  a  most  unhappy  con 
dition.  We  imagine  the  poor  outcast  driven  from 
home  and  friends  and  forced  to  seek  an  asylum  in  some 
foreign  land,  surrounded  by  people  who  speak  a  strange 
language  and  by  customs  with  which  he  is  not  ac 
quainted.  He  is  overcome  with  homesickness,  that 
Heimweh  which  the  Germans  consider  the  most  acute 
mental  suffering  a  human  being  can  endure  and  live. 

No  doubt  the  majority  of  those  who,  from  casual 
reading,  have  learned  that  Aaron  Burr  was  an  exile  in 
Europe  for  four  years,  have  formed  some  such  picture 
in  their  minds  of  his  existence  while  abroad.  But  such 
mental  conceptions  are  not  always  correct,  and  the 


3oo  BLENNERHASSETT 

pages  of  history,  it  must  be  confessed,  do  not  always 
convey  the  whole  truth. 

Fortunately,  Aaron  Burr  left  behind  him  the  means 
of  ascertaining  just  how  he  passed  these  four  years  of 
exile.  To  be  sure,  he  was  sorry,  very  sorry  indeed  to 
leave  his  beloved  daughter  Theodosia,  her  little  son, 
and  his  daughter's  husband  to  whom  he  was  greatly 
attached,  and  between  whom  a  feeling  closely  approach 
ing  that  of  love  of  father  and  son  existed.  Burr  left 
many  friends  behind,  but  the  real  ties  that  it  cost  him 
pain  to  sever  were  those  that  bound  him  to  his  daughter 
and  her  child. 

But  Burr  was  sanguine.  Whatever  misfortune  might 
overtake  him,  he  was  hopeful  of  the  future,  and  during 
his  four  years  residence  in  Europe  his  constant  thought 
was  of  his  return  and  the  joyful  meeting  to  follow  with 
his  daughter  and  her  child.  In  proof  of  this,  the  nine 
hundred  printed  pages  of  his  diary  while  in  Europe 
supply  conclusive  evidence.  This  diary  was  not  written 
for  publication.  It  was  intended  only  for  the  perusal 
of  his  daughter,  Theodosia.  He  says  many  times  in 
the  course  of  it :  "I  will  tell  you  all  of  this  story  when 
we  meet  and  have  our  little  chats  together."  It  was  de 
signed  as  memoranda  to  guide  him  in  giving  more 
complete  accounts  of  his  travels  when,  safe  at  home 
with  his  daughter,  they  sat  together  during  the  long 
summer  evenings  or  the  still  longer  ones  that  come  in 
winter;  and  he  continually  refers  to  these  anticipated 
conversations. 

His  enemies,  of  whom  it  may  safely  be  said  that  he 
had  legion,  and  those  persons  so  little  interested  in 
him  as  to  believe  anything  prejudicial  that  might  be 
said  of  him,  have  constantly  spoken  and  written  of  the 
fact  that  he  was  reduced  to  poverty  while  abroad,  but 
they  do  not  tell  the  whole  truth;  perhaps  they  do  not 
know  it.  It  will  be  magnanimous  to  assume  that  they 
did  not  know  that  some  ten  thousand  dollars  due  him 


THE  CITT  OF  LUTETIA       301 

in  the  United  States,  and  which  he  counted  upon  re 
ceiving  from  time  to  time  while  in  Europe,  were  never 
paid. 

From  this  fact,  Burr  was  often  forced,  as  anyone  in 
like  circumstances  might  have  been,  to  rely  on  the 
kindness  or  generosity  of  his  friends;  but  it  must  be 
said  to  his  credit  that  he  never  borrowed  when  he 
could  pawn  or  sell  anything  of  value  that  he  possessed. 
To  his  further  credit,  it  must  be  added  that  he  indulged 
in  no  fine  raiment  for  himself;  he  was  abstemious  in 
food  and  drink;  he  smoked  a  pipe  because  cigars  were 
too  expensive ;  he  borrowed  newspapers  instead  of  buy 
ing  them;  he  lay  in  bed  on  cold  days  to  save  coal  or 
wood,  and  he  never  accepted  an  invitation  to  a  dinner 
if  he  thought  the  party  giving  it  had  any  idea  of  the 
reduced  state  of  his  finances.  His  extravagances  were 
purchases  of  presents  for  Theodosia  and  her  boy, 
nearly  all  of  which,  however,  were  sold  or  pawned  in 
order  to  secure  his  passage-money  home. 

A  single  incident  will  show  the  consummate  philos 
ophy  of  the  man.  One  day,  while  in  London,  he 
found  that  his  whole  fortune  consisted  of  two  half 
pence.  He  wrote  in  his  diary  that  he  was  glad  he  had 
them  instead  of  a  single  penny,  for  he  could  jingle  the 
half-pence  and  they  sounded  more  like  money. 

To  such  a  man,  adversity  might  cause  worriment, 
pain,  and  suffering,  but  it  could  implant  no  thorns  to 
rankle  and  smart. 

If  the  tree  of  life  supplied  him  with  fruit,  he  was 
grateful  therefor;  if  it  gave  him  but  buds  and  flowers 
he  was  thankful;  if  naught  but  leaves  were  denied  him 
he  was  equally  content;  if  these  were  beyond  reach, 
the  bark  of  the  tree  sufficed  for  his  humble  wants;  if 
this  last  failed,  he  chewed  the  bitter  roots  of  adversity 
sweetened  by  hopes  of  the  future. 

And  now,  after  four  years  of  amusing  and  instruc 
tive  travel  coupled,  to  be  sure,  with  some  privations, 


302  BLENNERHASSETT 

this  "  poor,  miserable  outcast,"  to  use  the  language  of 
his  enemies,  who  had  been  received  everywhere  with 
courtesy  and  honor  by  the  nobility  and  by  men  of 
science,  letters,  and  art,  stood  gazing  at  the  palace  of 
St.  Cloud — but,  he  was  thinking  of  his  passports.  One 
great  pleasure  had  come  to  him  in  Paris  which  atoned 
for  all  the  sufferings  which  he  had  undergone.  He 
had  met  and  been  on  terms  of  the  closest  social  in 
timacy  with  Vanderlyn,  the  little  New  York  boy  whom 
he  had  christened  the  "  Genius  of  the  Roadside,"  and 
for  whose  early  education  in  art  he  had  supplied  the 
funds. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  the  manner  in  which  Burr 
finally  secured  his  passports.  One  evening,  at  a  social 
gathering,  he  had  become  acquainted  with  a  Mile.  St. 
Clair.  With  the  gallantry  common  to  gentlemen  of 
that  time,  he  accompanied  the  lady  to  her  lodgings  and 
was  invited  to  visit  her.  Several  days  afterwards, 
while  making  a  call  there,  the  conversation  turned  to 
pictures  and  sculpture,  and  she  expressed  a  desire  to 
view  an  exhibition  of  paintings  by  the  great  masters 
which  was  then  being  given  at  the  Louvre.  Burr  en 
deavored  to  secure  the  desired  ticket  of  admittance. 

He  stated  his  wish  to  a  friend,  the  Due  d'Alberg. 
The  Duke  gave  him  a  letter  to  M.  Denon  who  was  the 
Director-General  of  the  exposition  at  the  Louvre. 

This  meeting  with  Denon  proved  to  be  a  most  for 
tunate  one.  Denon  gave  him  the  ticket.  Burr  was  on 
his  way  to  deliver  it  to  Mile.  St.  Clair  when  he  was  met 
by  an  American  named  Griswold,  then  a  resident  of 
Paris.  Mr.  Griswold  wished  to  take  a  party  of  ladies 
to  the  Louvre  but  he  needed  one  more  ticket.  Burr,  on 
learning  this,  gave  him,  without  hesitation,  the  one  that 
he  had  procured  for  Mile.  St.  Clair. 

A  few  days  later,  he  secured  a  second  letter  from 
the  Duke  to  M.  Denon,  which  the  latter  honored  with 
another  ticket.  Denon  invited  him  to  dine  with  him, 


THE  CITT  OF  LUTETIA        303 

and  there  Burr  became  acquainted  with  the  Due  de 
Bassano. 

The  next  day,  Burr  again  started  to  deliver  the 
ticket  to  Mile.  St.  Clair,  but,  stopping  to  make  a  call 
upon  a  French  gentleman,  who  was  a  friend  of  his,  he 
was  introduced  to  a  German  lady  named  Albertine, 
whom  he  declares,  in  his  journal,  was  the  most  beautiful 
woman  whom  he  met  while  in  Europe.  She  expressed 
a  wish  to  visit  the  Louvre  and  Burr,  with  his  natural 
gallantry,  offered  to  accompany  her,  using  the  second 
ticket  that  he  had  obtained  for  Mile.  St.  Clair. 

On  his  third  attempt  to  obtain  a  ticket,  Denon  asked 
him  to  take  breakfast  with  him.  It  was  on  this  occa 
sion  that  Burr  called  his  attention  to  his  South  Amer 
ican  scheme.  M.  Denon  was  much  interested  and 
wished  to  read  a  copy  of  the  Memorial  which  Burr  had 
prepared,  but  which  he  had,  so  far,  been  unable  to  bring 
to  the  attention  of  the  Emperor  Napoleon.  M.  Denon 
read  the  Memorial  and  then  put  it  into  the  hands  of  the 
Due  de  Bassano. 

Burr  was  given  the  third  ticket  and,  as  he  says  in  his 
journal,  to  prevent  all  possible  contingencies,  he  walked 
directly  from  the  Louvre  to  Mile.  St.  Clair's  to  place  it 
in  her  hand. 

To  his  third  visit  to  Denon  must  be  ascribed  his  suc 
cess  in  finally  securing  his  passports,  for  the  Due  de 
Bassano  brought  the  matter  to  the  personal  attention 
of  the  Emperor. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

BY    COMMAND    OF    THE    EMPEROR 

A  FEW  days  after  the  one  upon  which  he  had 
breakfasted  with  M.  Denon,  Burr  was  sitting 
in  his  little  room,  which  was  about  ten  feet 
square,  in  the  fourth  story  of  a  house  in  the  Rue  Petite 
St.  Augustin.  In  one  corner  of  the  room  was  a  large 
bed;  the  greater  portion  of  the  remainder  of  the  room 
was  occupied  by  a  very  large  table  upon  which  were 
thrown  in  promiscuous  confusion,  letters,  food,  pipes 
and  tobacco,  and  articles  of  clothing.  Upon  the  wall 
were  a  few  rude  shelves  on  which  some  books  and  pam 
phlets  were  arranged  in  an  orderly  manner.  A  wood 
fire  was  burning  in  the  open  fireplace. 

In  his  journal,  Burr  says  that  nineteen-twentieths  of 
the  chimneys  in  Paris  smoked  all  the  time,  and  the  other 
twentieth  occasionally.  He  had  suffered  so  much  from 
being  obliged  to  inhale  the  odor  of  burnt  wood  that  he 
decided  to  rebuild  his  chimney,  but  none  of  the  French 
masons  would  consent  to  make  the  changes  that  he  de 
sired.  Finally,  by  the  efforts  of  a  rich  English  lady, 
living  in  Paris,  he  secured  the  services  of  an  apprentice 
who  carried  out  his  plans;  but,  every  time  he  laid  a 
brick,  he  declared  that  it  was  of  no  use  and  that  he 
knew  it  would  be  of  no  avail.  But  to  Burr's  delight, 
when  the  change  was  completed  he  found  that  his  fire 
drew  finely,  and  he  was  never  afterwards  troubled  with 
smoke  except  when  a  heavy  gale  blew  down  the  chim 
ney,  and  being  at  the  top  of  the  house,  he  was  some 
times  subjected  to  this  annoyance. 

3°4 


BT  COMMAND  OF  EMPEROR   305 

It  was  about  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening.  Burr  had 
made  a  frugal  meal  of  bread  and  butter,  cheese,  some 
grapes,  and  half  a  bottle  of  Roussillon  wine.  He  had 
borrowed  some  American  papers  from  a  friend  and 
was  reading  and  smoking  his  pipe  when  there  came  a 
loud  knock  at  the  door.  He  had  locked  it  to  prevent 
interruption  and  so  paid  no  attention  to  the  first  rap. 
Then  it  came  again,  louder  and  more  peremptory  than 
before.  Burr  arose  and  opened  the  door.  A  tall  figure 
entered  and,  throwing  back  a  long  military  cloak,  dis 
closed  a  handsomely  embroidered  uniform  by  which 
Burr  knew  him  to  be  an  equerry  of  the  Emperor. 

The  equerry  addressed  him  in  French :  "  M. 
Burr?" 

Burr  bowed  his  acknowledgment  of  the  name. 

Then  the  man  stated  that  M.  Burr  was  commanded 
to  present  himself  at  the  Palace  of  the  Tuileries  by  His 
Majesty,  the  Emperor.  The  thought  at  once  flashed 
through  Burr's  mind  that  the  Due  de  Bassano  had  pre 
sented  his  Memorial  to  the  Emperor,  and  that  His 
Majesty  wished  to  see  him  in  relation  thereto.  Asking 
the  man  to  give  him  a  few  moments  in  which  to  attend 
to  his  toilet,  he  made  his  preparations  hastily,  and, 
donning  his  great  surtout,  he  followed  the  equerry  down 
the  three  flights  of  dark  and  rickety  stairs.  Arrived 
at  the  door,  he  found  a  carriage  waiting;  they  entered 
and  took  their  seats. 

For  some  little  time  neither  spoke.  Then  the  equerry 
said: 

"  Perhaps  you  are  not  aware,  M.  Burr,  that  when  a 
person,  whether  of  French  or  foreign  birth,  is  com 
manded  to  visit  the  Emperor  and  is  granted  a  private 
interview,  it  is  understood  that  the  party  so  received  is 
neither  to  commit  to  writing,  nor  to  speak  to  any  person 
of  what  transpires  at  the  interview.  Have  I  your  word 
of  honor,  M.  Burr,  that  this  custom  will  be  followed  by 
you  after  your  interview  with  His  Majesty?  " 


306  BLENNERHASSETT 

"  You  have,"  replied  Burr,  and  no  more  was  said 
until  the  palace  was  reached. 

Burr  followed  the  equerry  through  the  brilliantly- 
lighted  corridors  and  was  shown  into  a  small  reception- 
room.  Here  he  threw  off  his  surtout  and,  standing 
before  a  full-length  mirror,  adjusted  his  wig  and  the 
folds  of  his  lace  shirt-front.  He  was  not  in  court  dress, 
nor  was  it  to  be  expected  that  he  could  be  under  the  cir 
cumstances. 

In  a  few  moments,  the  equerry  returned  and  Burr 
followed  him  through  what  seemed  an  endless  succes 
sion  of  corridors  and  passages  and  finally  was  shown 
into  a  large  reception-room,  brilliantly  lighted.  The 
room  was  empty.  Burr  took  a  seat  upon  a  beautifully 
upholstered  divan.  The  equerry  left  the  room  and 
closed  the  door  behind  him.  Burr  glanced  around  the 
apartment.  It  was  large  and  very  high,  with  a  dome 
like  ceiling.  It  was  handsomely  decorated  and  a  carpet 
of  most  exquisite  pattern  and  softness  of  texture  cov 
ered  the  floor.  Directly  opposite  him,  some  portieres 
covered  the  entrance  to  an  adjoining  room. 

Thoughts  passed  through  his  mind  with  the  speed  of 
lightning.  What  should  he  say  ?  How  should  he  pre 
sent  the  ideas  that  were  uppermost  in  the  most  favorable 
manner  to  His  'Majesty?  The  opportunity  of  his  life 
had  come !  Perhaps,  as  the  result  of  this  interview,  the 
summit  of  his  ambition  might  be  reached,  and  he  re 
solved  that  for  once,  at  least,  his  pride  should  be  sub 
servient  to  the  other  passion — ambition. 

As  Burr  sat  waiting  for  the  entrance  of  the  mighty 
conqueror  whose  ear  he  had  endeavored  so  long  to 
gain,  the  principal  events  in  that  man's  successful  career 
flashed  before  his  mind.  He  saw  the  young  Corsican 
yearning  for  a  wider  field  of  action  than  the  little  island 
of  his  birth  afforded  him.  Next  he  saw  the  ardent  stu 
dent  at  the  military  school  at  Brienne.  He  saw  the 
"  Little  Corporal  "  with  his  bearded  French  veterans 


BT  COMMAND  OF  EMPEROR   307 

ravaging  the  sunny  plains  of  Italy,  like  a  barbarian 
monarch  despoiling  churches,  museums,  and  palaces  of 
their  pictures  and  statues,  their  treasures  of  gold  and 
silver,  and  sending  them  home  to  his  native  land.  He 
saw  him  take  his  first  step  as  Consul,  next  First  Consul, 
then  Consul  for  life. 

Then  a  furious  battle  scene  came  before  his  eyes — 
the  bloody  field  of  Marengo  which  humbled  Austrian 
pride.  Next  came  before  his  vision  the  picture  of  the 
coronation,  when  the  impatient  conqueror  took  the 
crown  from  the  hands  of  the  Pope  and  placed  it  upon 
his  own  head.  Then,  to  the  imperial  crown,  he  saw  him 
add  a  kingly  one  when  he  joined  Italy  to  his  domain. 
Then  came  the  scene  of  another  field  of  carnage — Aus- 
terlitz — where  the  haughty  Austrians  were  again  hum 
bled  and  made  to  bite  the  dust.  Then  followed  the  battle 
of  Jena,  where  the  Prussians — who  had  kept  aloof  from 
previous  campaigns,  and  who  had  hoped  to  surprise 
their  enemy — met  with  a  crushing  defeat.  Finally  came 
that  sad  and  ever-to-be  regretted  scene — the  divorce 
ment  of  the  childless  Empress — followed  so  soon  by  a 
marriage  with  the  daughter  of  his  enemy.  And  now 
the  Emperor  of  France  and  the  Empire  of  the  French 
had  an  heir  to  the  throne  who  only  a  few  days  before 
had  been  proclaimed  King  of  Rome. 

Could  the  Emperor  Napoleon  have  seen  the  future  of 
his  offspring,  with  what  despair  would  he  have  learned 
that  his  son  was  never  to  sit  upon  the  throne  of  France ; 
that  he  was  to  be  educated  as  an  Austrian  and  every 
effort  made  to  teach  him  to  hate  the  land  that  gave 
him  birth.  It  would  have  afforded  him  some  solace  to 
have  known  that  his  son  ever  remained  French  at 
heart;  that  he  yearned  throughout  his  short  life  to  re 
turn  to  his  native  land,  and  that  he  was  to  be  im 
mortalized  by  a  French  poet,  a  century  later,  who,  in 
memory  of  his  noble  father,  poetically  christened  him 
V  Aiglon,  or  "  The  Eaglet." 


308  BLENNERHASSETT 

While  Burr  sat  deeply  engrossed  in  thought,  he 
heard  a  slight  sound.  He  glanced  up,  and  the  hero 
of  Marengo,  Austerlitz,  and  Jena  stood  before 
him. 

Burr  sprang  to  his  feet  and  made  a  low  and  courtly 
bow.  Then  drawing  himself  up  to  his  full  stature,  he 
looked  towards  the  Emperor.  He  did  not  speak,  for 
well  he  knew  that  a  commoner,  in  the  presence  of 
royalty,  must  wait  for  royalty  to  speak  first. 

Finally,  the  Emperor  said,  "  Colonel  Burr,  from  the 
United  States?" 

Burr  again  bowed,  and  replied  simply,  "  Yes,  Your 
Majesty." 

Then  the  Emperor  seated  himself,  and  by  a  sign,  in 
dicated  to  Burr  to  do  the  same,  and  the  latter  resumed 
his  position  upon  the  divan. 

"  The  Due  de  Bassano,"  said  the  Emperor,  "  has 
called  my  attention  to  your  Memorial.  I  have  read  the 
same,  but  I  regret  to  say  that  I  am  so  much  involved  in 
matters  requiring  my  attention  upon  the  continent  of 
Europe,  that  I  have  no  time  or  inclination  to  undertake 
conquests  so  far  removed  from  the  Empire.  But  I  am 
a  young  man  yet.  When  I  have  reached  your  age, 
I  may  find  time  to  carry  out  the  purposes  of  your 
Memorial." 

"  When  you  have  reached  my  age,"  answered  Burr, 
feeling  it  was  necessary  now  for  him  to  say  something, 
"  Your  Majesty  will  look  in  vain  for  other  conquests ; 
for,  by  that  time,  the  whole  civilized  world  will  bow  to 
Your  Majesty." 

"  Well,"  rejoined  the  Emperor,  "  if  that  time  ever 
arrives  I  shall  not,  like  my  friend  Alexander,  sit  down 
and  cry  for  more  worlds  to  conquer." 

For  a  moment,  there  was  silence.  Then  the  Emperor 
said,  and  a  strange  looked  passed  over  his  face,  "  I 
judge  from  what  the  Due  de  Bassano  has  told  me  that 
your  career  has  been  a  checkered  one,  and  not  crowned 


"THE  HERO  OF  MARENGO,  AUSTERLITZ,  AND  JENA   STOOD    BEFORE  HIM." 


BT  COMMAND  OF  EMPEROR    309 

with  that  success  which  you,  no  doubt,  at  one  time 
anticipated." 

"  That  is  true,  Your  Majesty,"  Burr  replied,  de 
termined  that  his  pride  should  be  kept  down. 

"  You  are  still  ambitious  ?  "  asked  the  Emperor. 

"  At  my  age,"  began  Burr — 

"  Mon  Dieu! "  cried  the  Emperor,  rising  to  his  feet, 
"  at  your  age,  if  you  have  not  been  successful,  you 
should  be  more  ambitious  than  ever." 

"  Whatever  ambition  I  may  have,  Your  Majesty, 
would  be  more  than  doubled  if  I  knew  that  I  had  your 
recognition,  not  to  say  support,  of  what  I  may  be  en 
gaged  in." 

For  a  moment,  the  Emperor  seemed  to  be  musing. 
Then,  turning  to  Burr,  he  asked : 

"  To  what  do  you,  from  your  point  of  view,  attribute 
the  success  of  the  French  arms  ?  " 

"  To  the  acknowledged  bravery  of  the  French 
soldier,  and  the  unequalled  military  ability  of  their  com 
mander,"  said  Burr,  again  making  a  low  bow. 

"  So  far  so  good,"  rejoined  the  Emperor,  "  but  you 
have  not  stated  all." 

"  No,"  answered  Burr,  "  there  must,  of  course,  be 
adequate  financial  support  for  all  military  undertak 
ings." 

"  Well  spoken !  "  replied  the  Emperor,  "  but  there 
is  another  point  that  you  have  omitted."  Burr  did  not 
speak.  The  point,  whatever  it  might  be,  was  not  sug 
gested  to  him.  Then  the  Emperor  said,  "  You  have 
forgotten  the  use  of  statistics." 

"  Statistics  ?  "  asked  Burr,  glancing  up  at  the  Em 
peror,  with  a  slight  look  of  wonderment  upon  his  other 
wise  impassive  face. 

"  Yes,"  said  Napoleon,  "  statistics  are  the  foundation 
of  my  success.  In  the  secret  archives  of  the  War  De 
partment  are  the  names  and  addresses  of  every  manu 
factory  in  the  Empire  which  is  capable  of  furnishing 


3  io  BLENNERHASSETT 

clothing,  food,  munitions  of  war,  or  other  supplies 
needed  for  the  use  of  the  army.  The  kind  and  quality 
of  machinery  are  recorded,  the  number  of  men  that  can 
be  employed,  the  quantity  of  goods  that  can  be  manu 
factured,  working  a  specified  number  of  hours  a  day, 
and  when  employed  both  day  and  night.  When  a 
campaign  is  projected,  orders  are  sent  to  each  of  these 
manufactories  to  turn  out  a  definite  quantity  of  goods 
on  a  specified  day.  These  are  forwarded  to  certain 
designated  points  on  the  same  day,  where  they  are  re 
ceived  by  persons  who  have  been  instructed  how  to  dis 
pose  of  them.  Thus,  within  two  days,  my  army  is 
clothed,  armed,  supplied  with  provisions  and  ammuni 
tion,  and  on  the  third  day  moves  forward  to  new  con 
quests  and  greater  glory." 

Burr's  face  expressed  his  admiration  for  the  plan 
outlined  by  the  Emperor's  words. 

"  You  have  said,"  continued  the  Emperor,  "  that 
whatever  ambition  you  possess  would  be  doubled  under 
certain  circumstances.  Supposing  I  should  offer  you 
a  position  in  my  army?  What  effect  would  that  have 
upon  your  ambition?" 

"  Your  Majesty,  before  accepting,"  replied  Burr,  "  I 
should  ask  but  one  favor.  I  have  been  separated  for 
four  years  from  my  only  child,  a  daughter,  and  my 
only  grandson.  I  should  wish  to  see  them  once  more. 
After  doing  so,  I  would  willingly,  gladly,  return  to 
France  and  place  my  sword  and  my  life  at  your  dis 
posal." 

"  Be  it  so!  "  said  the  Emperor.  "  I  will  give  orders 
to-morrow  that  a  passport,  allowing  you  to  leave 
France,  shall  be  issued  to  you.  Go  home,  say  farewell 
to  your  daughter  and  your  grandson;  then  return  to 
France.  I  will  give  you  a  commission  in  the  French 
army  and,  if  all  else  fails  you,  if  you  can  in  no  other 
way  reach  the  summit  of  your  ambition,  if  you  are 
brave  and  fearless  and  faithful  to  the  Empire,  you  may 


BT  COMMAND  OF  EMPEROR   311 

yet  die  a  Marshal  of  France !  "  As  the  Emperor  uttered 
these  words,  he  drew  back  the  portieres,  and  an  instant 
later  they  closed  behind  him. 

In  a  few  moments,  the  door  was  opened  and  the 
equerry  entered.  Without  a  word,  Burr  followed  him 
to  the  reception-room  where  he  donned  his  outer  gar 
ments.  The  carriage  was  reached,  and  they  were  driven 
back  to  the  house  in  the  Rue  Petite  St.  Augustin.  Burr 
mounted  the  creaking  stairs  alone  and  entered  his  little 
room.  By  means  of  flint  and  steel  he  lighted  his  candle. 
His  fire  had  gone  out  but  with  the  burning  fire  within 
him  he  needed  no  outward  warmth.  For  hours  he  sat 
and  gazed  into  the  blackened  embers.  To  him  they 
seemed  alive  with  flame,  in  the  midst  of  which  he  saw 
Theodosia  and  Gampillo.  Then  the  scene  changed. 
There  was  a  figure  on  horseback,  dressed  in  the  uniform 
of  a  Marshal  of  France,  he  was  at  the  head  of  his 
troops,  rushing  on  towards  the  enemy,  and  Burr  saw 
that  the  face  of  this  leader  of  men  was  his  own. 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

"  HOME   AGAIN  !     FROM    A    FOREIGN    SHORE  " 

EMPERORS  do  not  always  keep  their  word,  as 
pages  of  history  attest.  But  Napoleon  Bona 
parte  did  not  forget  his  promise  and  Aaron 
Burr's  passports  were  promptly  forthcoming.  Burr  then 
proceeded  as  fast  as  diligence,  post-chaise,  and  canal- 
boat  could  convey  him  to  Amsterdam.  He  was  fortu 
nate  in  finding  there  an  American  vessel  called  the 
"  Vigilant,"  commanded  by  a  Captain  Coombs.  The 
terms  of  the  passage  to  America  were  agreed  upon,  in 
cluding  the  use  of  a  special  cabin  which  was  to  be  fitted 
up  for  Burr's  accommodation.  Then  he  made  a  return 
trip  to  Paris  at  the  greatest  possible  speed,  utilizing 
canal-boat,  post-chaise,  and  diligence,  they  being,  in 
those  days,  the  only  means  of  conveyance. 

The  acquaintance  formed,  at  M.  Denon's,  with  the 
Due  de  Bassano  proved  to  be  one  of  the  fortunate  events 
of  his  life;  for  the  latter,  upon  learning  his  friend's 
financial  condition,  generously  tendered  him  a  loan  of 
ten  thousand  francs.  With  this  money,  he  was  able 
to  discharge  all  his  obligations  in  the  city  of  Paris,  and 
to  leave  it  with  all  his  financial  troubles  consolidated 
into  one  compact  debt,  owed  to  a  man  to  whom  the  sum 
was  a  mere  bagatelle.  Then,  by  means  of  the  same  te 
dious  methods  of  travel,  Burr  once  more  reached  Am 
sterdam  and  took  up  his  quarters  in  the  cabin  provided 
for  him. 

But  a  long  and  vexatious  delay  occurred  before  the 
vessel  sailed.  There  was  war  between  England  and 

312 


"HOME  AGAIN'  313 

France.  Holland  had  been  annexed  to  the  French 
Empire,  and,  consequently,  vessels  leaving  Dutch  ports 
were  considered  by  the  officers  of  the  British  navy  as 
belonging  to  the  enemy. 

The  "  Vigilant  "  had  no  sooner  gotten  outside  the 
Texel  than  she  was  brought  to  by  a  shot  across  her  bow 
from  a  British  man-of-war.  Despite  the  protests  of 
Captain  Coombs  who  persisted  that  he  was  en  cartel,  the 
vessel  and  its  passengers  were  taken  into  Yarmouth 
Roads. 

After  an  investigation  by  the  British  authorities,  it 
was  decided  to  release  the  "  Vigilant."  Captain  Coombs 
had  received  certain  guarantees  which  made  it  much 
more  profitable  for  him  to  take  his  vessel  to  New  Or 
leans  rather  than  New  York,  the  original  port  of  desti 
nation.  Burr  did  not  wish  to  go  to  New  Orleans  for 
many  reasons,  the  principal  one  being  that  the  money 
paid  for  his  passage  had  nearly  exhausted  his  available 
funds.  The  trip  from  England  to  New  York  was  really 
easier  of  accomplishment  than  the  one  from  New  Or 
leans  to  New  York.  Captain  Coombs  refused  to  return 
Burr's  passage-money  and  the  vessel  sailed  before  he 
could  take  legal  steps  to  compel  a  restitution.  Thus, 
by  no  fault  of  his  own,  he  was  left  stranded  once  more 
in  a  foreign  country. 

His  -enforced  residence  on  this  occasion  lasted  for 
more  than  six  months,  during  which  he  came  nearer  to 
the  line  of  absolute  poverty  than  he  had  at  any  time 
during  his  travels.  Many  of  his  critics  have  dwelt  upon 
this  as  though  his  financial  sufferings  were  intended  as 
a  punishment  for  his  political  and  social  sins;  but  the 
common-sense  reader,  knowing  the  real  facts,  will  ap 
preciate  the  situation  and  see  that  even  the  most  godly 
might  have  been  reduced  to  the  same  straits  under 
similar  circumstances. 

His  stay  in  England  was  not  due  entirely  to  his 
financial  condition.  By  one  of  those  peculiar  decrees  of 


BLENNERHASSE  TT 

Fate  which  are  incomprehensible,  his  old  enemy,  Jona 
than  Russell,  who  had  been  charge  d'  affaires  at  Paris, 
had  been  transferred  to  London  and  now  occupied  a 
similar  position  at  the  British  capital.  Once  more  he 
had  ,an  opportunity  to  interpose  his  official  influence 
which  he  secretly  used  against  Burr,  and  a  considerable 
part  of  the  time  lost  was  due  to  the  machinations  of  this 
malevolent  political  opponent. 

But  the  tangle  of  complications  was  finally  un 
raveled,  and,  provided  with  sufficient  funds,  Burr  took 
passage  upon  the  "  Aurora  "  bound  from  London  for 
Newburyport,  Massachusetts.  The  weary  traveler  had 
had  his  progress  so  often  interfered  with  by  unexpected 
circumstances,  that  he  stood  upon  the  deck  of  the 
"  Aurora  "  as  it  passed  through  the  English  Channel, 
in  a  state  of  suspense,  and  watched  with  eager  eyes 
every  war  vessel  bearing  the  English  colors  at  its  mast 
head.  He  gave  a  great  sigh  of  relief  when  the  "  Au 
rora  "  passed  Lizard  Point  and  soon  after  was  plough 
ing  the  waters  of  the  open  sea. 

When  he  had  sailed  from  New  York  for  England 
four  years  before,  he  buried  all  unpleasant  associations 
and  looked  forward  with  pleasurable  anticipation  to  his 
return.  That  anticipation  had  become  realization, 
for  the  exile  was  now  homeward  bound.  What  rec*ep- 
tion  was  he  destined  to  have  from  the  country  that  had 
rejected  him  barely  four  years  before?  He  realized 
that  he  was  between  two  continents  with  but  com 
paratively  few  friends  in  either  and  it  must  be  con 
fessed,  with  more  in  the  Old  World  than  in  the  New. 

One  day,  a  heavy  rain  and  sullen  clouds  brought  him 
to  a  self-repressive  mood.  He  would  give  up  all  ideas 
of  social,  political,  or  military  preferment;  he  would 
work  hard  at  his  profession  to  make  a  happy  home  for 
Theodosia  and  Gamp;  the  chief  object  in  his  life  in 
future  would  be  to  make  a  great  and  noble  man  of  his 
grandson  and  namesake. 


"HOME  AGAIN"  315 

The  next  day,  the  skies  were  bright  and  a  strong, 
fresh  breeze  was  blowing.  With  them  came  a  great 
revulsion  in  feeling.  What  had  the  Emperor  said  ?  No ! 
Aaron  Burr  would  rise  superior  to  all  adverse  circum 
stances.  The  judgments  of  Nemesis  were  against  those 
who  had  risen,  not  against  those  who  were  trying  to 
rise.  He  would  return  to  France;  he  would  win  glory 
and  the  rank  of  field-marshal;  he  would  win  greater 
glory  and  a  title  of  nobility,  and  then  he  would  return 
to  America  and  laugh  at  his  enemies.  He  would  take 
Theodosia  and  her  husband  and  Gamp  to  Paris.  He 
would  show  the  French  nobility  how  immense  fortunes 
could  be  made  in  America  in  land  speculations.  How 
easy  for  him  it  would  be  to  turn  their  excited  minds 
towards  Texas  and  Mexico.  Filled  with  the  grand 
project,  he  walked  to  the  bow  of  the  "  Aurora  "  and, 
like  Columbus,  saw  before  him  the  mighty  country 
which  his  mind  had  created.  Perhaps  Napoleon  would 
put  him  in  charge  of  the  conquering  armies  and  thus 
secure  to  him  the  object  of  his  ambition  by  placing  him 
upon  a  throne. 

Day  by  day,  these  contending  forces  struggled  for 
mastery.  One  day,  in  company  with  Remorse  and  Re 
pentance,  he  descended,  with  slow  steps,  into  the  Valley 
of  Self-effacement ;  the  next  day,  Pride  was  his  fellow- 
traveler,  and,  with  long  strides,  they  ascended  together 
the  Mountain  of  Ambition. 

The  "  Aurora  "  landed  her  passengers  at  Boston  in 
stead  of  at  Newburyport  as  had  been  intended.  Burr 
was  disguised  so  as  to  escape  easy  recognition.  By  ar 
rangement  with  the  British  Alien  Commissioner,  he  had 
taken  passage  for  America  under  the  name  of  Adolphe 
Arnot.  He  spoke  the  French  language  with  fluency 
and,  by  his  fellow-travelers,  was  supposed  to  be  a  native 
of  that  country.  The  name  Arnot  had  become  endeared 
to  him  by  old  associations.  It  was  the  one  that  he  had 
assumed  when,  bearing  a  message  from  General  Bene- 


316  BLENNERHASSETT 

diet  Arnold  at  Quebec  to  General  Richard  Montgom 
ery  at  Montreal,  he  had  traversed  one  hundred  and  fifty 
miles  of  the  enemy's  country  disguised  as  a  French 
priest. 

He  had  thirty  dollars  in  his  pocket  when  he  reached 
Boston.  Within  two  days,  thereafter,  he  had  loaned 
all  but  three  dollars  of  it  to  friends  in  more  impecunious 
circumstances  than  himself.  He  borrowed  when  no 
other  resource  was  left,  but,  at  the  slightest  solicitation, 
he  would  impoverish  himself  to  aid  others. 

He  had  written  to  Samuel  Swartwout  in  New  York 
to  ascertain  whether  it  were  safe  for  him  to  return  to 
that  city  under  his  own  name,  but,  at  that  time,  it  took 
five  days  to  send  a  letter  and  receive  a  reply  from  New 
York  City;  besides,  his  first  letter,  for  some  unexplained 
reason,  did  not  reach  its  destination.  Then  again,  he 
had  written  to  Theodosia  in  relation  to  his  resuming 
his  own  name  when  he  reached  New  York.  He  knew 
that  his  creditors  would  at  once  pounce  upon  him  and 
he  would  be  condemned  to  "  the  limits,"  that  is,  he 
would  be  obliged  to  give  bonds  not  to  go  outside  of  a 
certain  prescribed  part  of  the  city,  being  virtually  a 
prisoner  within  those  boundaries.  Theodosia's  reply 
came  speedily :  "  By  all  means,"  said  she,  "  resume 
your  own  name.  I  have  suffered  so  much,  already,  that 
the  thought  of  your  being  placed  upon  the  limits  by 
your  importunate  creditors  will  not  add  to  my  sorrow." 

The  delay  caused  by  writing  these  letters  and  wait 
ing  for  replies  used  up  all  of  Burr's  available  funds. 
He  had  brought  with  him  from  Europe  a  great  quantity 
of  valuable  books  and  pamphlets.  He  wrote  a  letter 
to  a  wealthy  Bostonian  who  had  been  a  classmate  of  his 
at  Princeton  asking  him  to  buy  certain  valuable  books 
and  explaining  that  his  pecuniary  condition  was  the 
reason  for  making  such  a  request.  The  wealthy  Bos 
tonian  replied  curtly  that  he  had  retired  from  business 
and  could  not  engage  in  any  further  commercial  trans- 


"HOME  AGAIN'  317 

actions.  Burr  rolled  up  the  letter  and  made  use  of  it 
as  a  spill  for  lighting  his  pipe. 

An  old  soldier  who  had  been  in  Arnold's  command 
during  the  attack  on  Quebec,  and  who  had  there  become 
acquainted  with  Burr,  was  now  a  resident  of  Boston. 
Burr,  providentially,  ran  across  him,  and,  although  he 
did  not  tell  the  old  soldier  his  exact  financial  condition, 
the  latter  surmised  it.  Learning,  in  the  course  of  con 
versation,  that  the  traveler  had  brought  with  him  many 
valuable  books,  the  old  soldier  arranged  a  meeting  at 
Cambridge  with  President  Kirkland  of  Harvard  Col 
lege.  The  President  bought  for  the  College  Library  two 
French  dictionaries,  paying  Burr  forty  dollars  for  them. 
As  they  were  worth  much  more  money,  he  gave  Burr 
the  option  of  redeeming  them  for  the  price  paid  at  any 
time  within  a  year. 

Burr  was  now  provided  with  the  necessary  funds  and 
paid  twenty  dollars  for  his  passage  to  New  York  on 
the  sloop  "  Rose."  He  was  delighted  when  they  arrived 
at  Hell  Gate  at  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening,  for  it  had 
been  his  wish  to  reach  New  York  after  dark  so  that  he 
would  not  be  at  once  recognized.  But  the  captain  of  the 
"  Rose  "  did  not  dare  to  venture  on  making  the  passage 
through  Hell  Gate  in  the  dark,  and  came  to  anchor. 
A  sailboat  was  passing  close  to  and  Burr  hailed  the  two 
occupants  and  made  a  trade  with  them  to  land  him  in 
New  York  for  three  dollars.  The  navigators  of  the 
boat  were  two  Long  Island  farmers  and  they  endeavored 
to  carry  out  their  part  of  the  agreement,  but  wind  and 
tide  were  against  them  and  they,  too,  were  obliged  to 
come  to  anchor.  But  Burr  rose  superior  to  all  diffi 
culties.  A  skiff  containing  two  villainous-looking  in 
dividuals,  probably  river  thieves,  came  in  sight  and 
Burr  made  another  trade — which  was  that  for  the 
sum  of  one  dollar  he  was  to  be  landed  upon  a  New 
York  pier.  This  final  attempt  to  reach  his  destination 
was  crowned  with  success. 


3i  8  BLENNERHASSETT 

At  midnight,  on  the  seventh  of  June,  1812,  Burr 
stood  alone,  in  disguise,  and  under  an  assumed  name 
in  the  streets  of  the  city  of  New  York — the  city  where 
eight  years  before,  of  all  names  his  had  been  the  most 
powerful.  Surely,  Nemesis  had  done  her  work  well. 

He  experienced  much  difficulty  in  securing  a  lodg 
ing,  and,  after  an  hour  of  weary  travel,  the  former 
Vice-President  of  the  United  States  was  forced  to 
sleep  that  night  in  the  attic  of  a  cheap  lodging-house 
with  seven  other  lodgers  in  a  small  and  unventilated 
room. 

The  next  day  he  met  Samuel  Swartwout.  They  com 
pared  notes  and  Burr  found  that  it  was  just  four  years 
to  a  day  since  he  had  parted  from  his  friend  Swartwout 
at  the  identical  house  in  which  they  were  then  staying. 
Swartwout  had  been  making  inquiries  among  Burr's 
friends,  previous  to  his  arrival,  and  told  him  that  Col 
onel  Troup,  an  old  army  friend  of  his,  was  willing  to 
give  him  a  desk  in  his  law  office  and  would  assist  him 
in  getting  some  law  business. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

AS  IN  DAYS  OF  YORE 

AS  Samuel  Swartwout  gazed  upon  the  scene  be 
fore  him,  a  smile  sat  upon  his  face.  His  friend, 
Aaron  Burr,  had  been  in  New  York  but  two 
short  weeks  since  his  return  from  his  long  sojourn  of 
four  years  in  Europe.  Samuel  had  been  appointed  a 
committee  of  one  to  make  arrangements  for  a  compli 
mentary  dinner  to  be  given  to  his  old  friend  and  politi 
cal  associate. 

The  table  had  been  laid  in  the  big  room  of  a  retired 
and  respectable  tavern.  Seats  had  been  provided  for 
eighteen  persons  and  he  had  received  either  verbal  or 
written  assurances  that  all  the  invited  guests  would 
surely  be  on  hand. 

The  dinner  had  been  set  for  eight  o'clock,  but  long 
before  that  time  the  guests  began  to  arrive.  Many  of 
them  had  not  seen  each  other  for  years  and  the  hand 
shakings  and  congratulations  were  numerous  and 
hearty.  There  were  the  brothers  John  and  Samuel 
Swartwout;  Colonel  Troup,  with  whom  Burr  had  made 
arrangements  to  share  a  part  of  his  law  office;  Colonel 
Knapp,  an  old  friend  of  Burr's  who  had  come  on  from 
Massachusetts;  Luther  Martin  who,  in  order  to  greet 
his  friend,  had  made  a  trip  from  Maryland;  and  Doctor 
Eric  Bollman  who,  although  a  resident  of  Philadelphia, 
happened  to  be  in  New  York  at  the  time  fixed  for  the 
festivities  and  had  gladly  accepted  an  invitation  to  be 
present.  The  balance  of  the  company  was  composed  of 
Matthew  L.  Davis  and  ten  other  residents  of  New 

3J9 


32o  BLENNERHASSETT 

York  City  who  were  either  social  or  political  friends  of 
Aaron  Burr. 

Punctually  at  the  hour  fixed  upon,  the  man  in  whose 
honor  the  dinner  was  given  made  his  appearance  clad  in 
his  accustomed  habit  of  black  velvet.  Although  in  his 
fifty-seventh  year,  he  had  never  been  a  handsomer  man 
than  on  the  present  occasion,  and  his  eyes  sparkled  with 
a  brilliancy  which  convinced  all  that  they  had  lost  none 
of  their  original  force  and  fire. 

He  accepted  the  congratulations  of  his  friends  in 
his  usual  urbane  and  polished  manner  and  thanked  them 
individually  for  the  great  civility  thus  extended  to  him 
and  the  honor  conferred  upon  him  by  their  presence. 

After  the  repast  was  over,  Samuel  Swartwout  arose 
to  make  a  short  address  of  welcome. 

"  As  in  days  of  yore,  when  we  met  at  the  festal 
board  in  company  with  our  former  associate  and  politi 
cal  chieftain,  we  have  a  double  purpose  in  view;  first, 
to  extend  to  him  our  hearty  welcome  and  congratula 
tions  upon  his  safe  return;  second,  to  wish  him  long 
life  and  prosperity,  and  to  express  the  hope  that  the 
power  once  in  his  hands,  but  temporarily  wrested  from 
them,  may  be  once  more  restored  to  his  grasp." 

These  sentiments  were  loudly  applauded  by  the  as 
sembled  guests,  and  Burr,  rising,  bowed  his  acknowl 
edgment.  Swartwout  continued : 

"  I  am  aware  that  this  is  not  Richmond  Hill ;  but 
we  have  with  us  to-night  the  man  whose  wit  and  elo 
quence  and  marked  personality  of  character  gave  to 
that  famous  mansion  the  great  charm  that  it  always 
possessed  for  those  who  were  so  fortunate  as  to  be  hon 
ored  with  invitations  to  become  guests  within  its  walls." 

Swartwout  sat  down.  His  closing  words  were  re 
ceived  with  another  outburst  of  applause.  Burr  rose 
once  more  and  again  bowed  his  appreciation  of  the 
neatly-worded  compliment.  Remaining  standing,  he 
said : 


AS  IN  DATS  OF  TORE        321 

"  During  my  exile  of  four  years  in  Continental 
Europe,  I  have  had  ever  before  my  mind  a  picture  such 
as  I  gaze  upon  to-night.  Hundreds  of  times,  while 
sitting  in  my  lonely  lodgings  in  some  foreign  city,  have 
I  pictured  to  myself  a  brightly-lighted  room  and  a  well- 
laden  table,  with  the  faces  of  my  friends  about  it,  such 
as  I  see  here  to-night.  I  will  own  that  I  have  had 
another  picture  in  my  mind  and  that  has  been  some 
pleasant  room  in  which  I  sat  in  company  with  my  be 
loved  daughter  Theodosia,  my  little  grandson,  and  my 
daughter's  husband  who  loves  me  as  a  father  and 
whose  filial  affection  is  fully  reciprocated  by  me.  The 
man  of  wealth,  situated  as  I  have  been,  might  have 
thought  of  his  treasures  in  ships,  in  land,  and  gold, 
but  to  me  those  faces  of  my  friends  and  relatives  were 
a  greater  treasure  than  any  which  can  be  measured  by 
money  value.  Let  me  speak  frankly  to  you.  I  do 
not  return  with  any  hope,  I  may  say  desire,  to  regain 
any  former  political  prominence  that  I  may  have  held 
in  the  city,  state,  or  nation.  I  shall  resume  my  place 
at  the  bar  and  shall  endeavor,  as  all  honest  citizens 
should,  to  earn  my  livelihood,  and  in  this  undertaking 
I  know  I  shall  have  the  kind  assistance  of  these  gentle 
men  present  to-night,  as  well  as  that  of  other  friends 
who  are  not  present. 

"  I  may  be  pardoned  for  noticing  the  absence  of  my 
old-time  friend  and  valued  associate.  Judge  Van  Ness 
who,  I  understand,  is  absent  in  the  West  for  business 
purposes.  I  know  you  did  not  come  here  to-night  to 
listen  to  an  oration  by  me,  but  rather  to  have  me  tell 
you  in  a  simple,  conversational  way  some  of  my  experi 
ences  during  my  travels;  and,  as  their  recital  will  oc 
cupy  considerable  time,  I  know  you  will  excuse  me  if, 
while  so  engaged,  I  resume  my  seat." 

The  decanters  of  wine  and  bottles  of  stronger  bev 
erages  were  now  placed  upon  the  table,  and  many  of 
the  guests,  after  partaking,  lighted  their  cigars  and 


322  BLENNERHASSETT 

settled  themselves  into  comfortable  positions  to  partici 
pate  in  what  they  knew  would  prove  to  be  an  enjoyable 
literary  feast.  The  conversation  was  general  for  some 
time,  but  it  was  immediately  hushed  when  Chairman 
Samuel  Swartwout  pounded  upon  the  table  with  his 
knife-handle  to  bring  the  assemblage  to  order. 

Burr  began  to  speak  in  a  conversational  tone,  but 
his  enunciation  was  so  perfect  that  every  word  was 
distinctly  heard. 

"  I  will  spare  you  an  account  of  my  ocean  trip.  As 
usual,  it  was  long  and  tedious  and  I  was  as  overjoyed 
as  my  fellow-travelers  when  the  shores  of  Old  England 
loomed  up  in  the  distance.  I  make  no  secret  of  what 
you  probably  all  know.  I  left  New  York  in  disguise 
and  under  an  assumed  name.  When  I  reached  Lon 
don,  I  sought  out  and  secured  modest  lodgings  in  a  re 
spectable  quarter  of  that  great  city.  My  first  visit  was 
to  Mrs.  Prevost  who  was  a  relative  of  the  mother  of  my 
Theodosia.  Her  son,  now  Sir  George  Prevost,  was 
at  that  time  in  the  West  Indies  fighting  the  French. 
Now,  as  you  all  know,  he  is  Governor-General  of 
Canada  and  will  probably  lead  the  British  forces  in  the 
approaching  hostilities  between  our  country  and  Eng 
land. 

"  One  of  my  first  acquaintances,  Jeremy  Bentham, 
was  also  one  of  the  most  enjoyable  I  made  while  in 
Europe.  Bentham  is  a  great  man  but  one  who  will 
not  be  fully  appreciated  in  this  generation.  My  inti 
macy  with  him  was  delightful,  and  he  made  his  coun 
try  house  at  Barrow  Green  and  his  city  mansion  in 
Queen's  Square  Place,  as  much  mine  as  if  I  had  been 
their  owner.  His  city  house  bore  the  very  quaint  title 
of  '  The  Bird  Cage.'  ' 

"  I  did  not  go  to  England  without  a  fixed  purpose  in 
my  mind.  I  made  many  ineffectual  attempts  to  bring 
my  business  to  the  attention  of  the  British  Minister, 
but  without  success.  Having  an  invitation  to  visit 


AS  IN  DATS  OF  TORE        323 

Edinburgh  I  decided  to  accept  it.  On  my  way  I 
stopped  at  Oxford.  I  was  dined  and  wined  by  the  pro 
fessorial  dons,  and,  as  some  slight  return  for  their 
civilities,  I  talked  politics  and  religion  with  them." 

The  first  interruption  to  Burr's  continued  discourse 
came  at  this  point. 

"  Did  you  find  them  firmly  set  in  the  old  theology?  " 
asked  Doctor  Bollman,  with  his  broad  German  accent. 

"  Not  at  all,"  replied  Burr,  with  a  laugh.  "  I  found 
everything  in  a  chaotic  state  in  England;  law,  politics, 
and  religion  were  all  in  a  most  unsettled  condition.  It 
seemed  to  me  as  though  all  the  men  of  dull  intellect 
and  feeble  powers  were  in  office,  while  the  able  and 
intellectual  ones  were  on  the  outside,  but  yet  unable  to 
overcome  the  prestige  of  those  in  power."  He  re 
sumed  his  narrative.  "  At  the  Scottish  capital  I  had 
a  most  pleasurable  time.  I  was  particularly  pleased 
with  the  lads  and  lassies  who  sang  the  old  Scotch 
songs  for  me." 

"Did  you  ask  them  to  dance?"  asked  Mr.  Davis. 

"  There  was  no  need  of  it.  The  man  with  the  bag 
pipes  was  to  be  found  everywhere  and  I  was  treated 
to  many  exhibitions  of  their  national  dances,  including 
the  celebrated  Highland  Fling.  The  Scotch  people,  I 
mean  the  young  ones,  approach  the  French  in  their 
spirit  and  vivacity." 

"  I  presume  you  made  many  acquaintances  there," 
remarked  Colonel  Troup. 

"  Yes.  One  of  the  most  enjoyable  was  that  of 
David  Williamson,  a  brother  of  Charles  Williamson 
who  used  to  be  one  of  my  most  intimate  personal 
friends.  David  is  now  Lord  Balgray  and  a  great  legal 
light  at  the  Scotch  'bar.  I  met  Walter  Scott  who  had 
published  The  Minstrelsy  of  the  Scottish  Border,  The 
Lay  of  The  Last  Minstrel,  and  Marmion.  I  think 
Scott  is  destined  to  become  the  greatest  author  that 
Scotland  has  ever  produced. 


324  BLENNERHASSETT 

"  The  Duchess  of  Gordon  invited  me  to  her  castle  and 
gave  a  fete  in  my  honor,  where  I  met  a  great  many  rep 
resentatives  of  the  Scottish  nobility. 

"  When  I  returned  to  London,  I  bore  with  me  some 
strong  endorsements  of  my  Mexican  and  South  Amer 
ican  schemes  from  people  whom  I  had  met  while  there, 
and  I  made  another  ineffectual  effort  to  secure  an 
audience  with  the  Prime  Minister,  Lord  Liverpool,  but 
I  was  unsuccessful." 

"  The  times  are  not  yet  ripe  for  your  schemes,  my 
dear  Colonel,"  said  Doctor  Bollman.  "  You  may  not  live 
to  see  their  accomplishment,  but  I  believe  in  them,  and 
the  world  will  one  day  have  to  acknowledge  that  you 
were  the  most  far-seeing  man  of  your  time." 

"  I  wish  the  world  was  composed  of  Doctor  Boll- 
mans,"  said  Burr,  with  a  laugh  in  which  the  company 
joined.  "  But  now  my  troubles  were  to  begin.  Some 
parties  in  England,  instigated,  I  suppose,  by  my  political 
enemies  at  home,  endeavored  to  convince  the  Alien  Com 
missioner  that,  being  an  alien,  I  had  no  right  to  remain 
in  England.  I  determined  to  test  their  knowledge  of 
their  own  law  and  boldly  claimed  that  I  was  still  a  Brit 
ish  subject  while  on  British  soil,  despite  my  antecedent 
connections.  Then  the  lawyers  consulted  their  law- 
books  and  the  judges  read  over  their  decisions  and  the 
law  professors  hunted  after  precedents. 

"  I  was  not  molested  by  the  Alien  Commissioner,  for 
they  learned  just  what  I  knew  they  would,  that  by 
British  law,  as  soon  as  a  British-born  subject  sets  foot 
upon  British  soil,  no  matter  if  he  has  fought  against 
the  mother  country  and  has  sworn  allegiance  to  some 
foreign  sovereign,  he  at  once  becomes  possessed,  while 
on  British  soil,  of  all  his  natural  rights  as  a  British 
subject." 

"  Many  of  your  enemies  in  this  country,"  remarked 
Colonel  Knapp,  "  have  tried  to  make  a  point  against 
your  patriotism  on  account  of  your  declaration." 


AS  IN  DATS  OF  TORE        325 

"  Yes,  I  know,"  said  Burr,  "  that  is  because  they 
understand  partisan  politics  better  than  they  do  English 
law. 

"  Finding  that  they  could  not  eject  me  from  England 
on  the  plea  that  I  was  an  alien,  as  Byron  says,  a 
change  came  o'er  the  spirit  of  their  dream.  I 
received  a  very  polite  note  from  Lord  Liverpool,  the 
Prime  Minister,  informing  me  that  my  presence  in 
England  was  an  embarrassment  to  the  English  govern 
ment,  and  in  which  he  asked  me,  very  politely,  if  I 
would  leave  the  country.  When  approached  in  a  civil 
manner  I  never  mean  to  be  outdone  in  civility,  and  I 
replied  that  I  would  depart  from  England  if  the  govern 
ment  would  supply  me  with  free  transportation  for 
myself  and  baggage  and  leave  me  at  a  port  of  destina 
tion  to  be  selected  by  myself.  My  conditions  were  com 
plied  with,  and,  in  due  time,  I  was  landed  at  Gothen 
burg  in  Sweden,  having  been  a  resident  of  the  British 
Isles  for  about  eleven  months. 

"  Not  understanding  a  single  word  of  the  Swedish 
language,  some  enjoyable  and  some  unpleasant  occur 
rences  took  place.  I  went  to  Stockholm  to  see  a  re 
view  of  the  Swedish  troops,  a  war  with  Russia  being 
threatened.  As  I  looked  at  them,  I  recalled  the  remark 
of  Peter  the  Great  that  he  had  so  improved  the  condi 
tion  of  the  Russian  army  that  he  was  able  to  fight  the 
Swedes  when  he  had  four  Russians  to  one  Swede.  He 
added  that  he  hoped  some  day  to  make  the  odds  even. 

"  I  went  to  Upsala,  the  seat  of  the  world-renowned 
university,  where  I  talked  daily  with  the  most  learned 
men  in  Europe  and  read  ancient  Swedish  law  in  the 
original  Latin.  Among  educated  people,  I  found  that 
my  knowledge  of  French  stood  me  in  good  stead.  I 
traveled  northward  to  see  the  gigantic  statue  of  the 
Scandinavian  god  Thor.  This  being  the  evening  of  the 
fourth  day  of  the  week  is  part  of  Thor's  day." 

"  Did  you  like  Sweden?  "  asked  Luther  Martin.    In 


326  BLENNERHASSETT 

accordance  with  his  usual  custom,  he  had  indulged 
very  freely  in  the  'beverages  supplied;  and,  up  to  this 
time,  although  an  attentive  listener,  had  evinced  no 
disposition  to  question  the  speaker. 

"  It  is  a  fine  country,"  said  Burr.  '  The  roads  are 
the  best  to  be  found  in  Europe,  and  the  people  the  most 
honest.  They  have  no  courts  for  petty  offences  as  the 
people  are  never  guilty  of  slight  misdemeanors.  There 
is  one  Swedish  custom,  however,  of  which  I  could  never 
become  an  admirer,  and  that  is  the  habit  possessed  by 
both  sexes  of  entering  your  sleeping  apartment  at  any 
hour  of  the  day  or  night,  unannounced.  The  doors 
have  no  locks  and  the  only  way  in  which  you  can  secure 
any  privacy  is  by  piling  up  the  furniture  against  them, 
and  even  then  they  will  make  the  most  determined 
efforts  to  remove  the  obstruction. 

"  Returning  to  Stockholm,  I  crossed  the  Cattegat  in 
an  open  boat  and  landed  at  Elsinore  in  Denmark." 

"  Was  Prince  Hamlet  at  home?  "  asked  John  Swart- 
wout. 

"  No,"  said  Burr,  with  a  smile,  "  but  I  stood  for  an 
hour,  in  the  daytime  I  am  sorry  to  say,  on  the  battle- 
mented  tower  where  Prince  Hamlet  had  stood  when 
his  father's  ghost  appeared  to  him  and  told  him  of  the 
fearful  murder  committed  by  his  faithless  mother  and 
her  paramour.  At  Copenhagen,  the  high  public  func 
tionaries  extended  to  me  marked  official  courtesies  and 
social  civilities.  If  I  had  been  the  sovereign  of  some 
European  kingdom  I  could  not  have  been  treated  better 
than  I  was  in  Germany.  Everywhere,  I  stood  or  sat 
at  the  right  hand  of  royalty.  Kings,  princes,  prin 
cesses,  and  grand  dukes  were  my  daily  companions 
who  met  me  on  the  plane  of  social  equality. 

"  At  Frankfort,  I  met  the  beautiful  Princess  Louise. 
She  was  so  affable  and  courteous  that  I  begged  some 
souvenir  of  our  pleasant  acquaintance." 


AS  IN  DATS  OF  TORE        327 

"  I  will  wager  you  asked  for  something  that  she 
wore,"  broke  in  Martin. 

"  You  are  right,  my  learned  friend,"  replied  Burr. 
"  I  asked  her  for  a  garter,  but  she  blushingly  refused." 

"  I  thought  as  much,"  said  Martin,  which  provoked 
a  loud  laugh  among  the  guests. 

"  But  I  got  my  souvenir." 

"  What  was  it,"  asked  Martin,  "  a  stocking?  "  But 
this  time  there  was  no  laughter  from  the  guests.  They 
evidently  thought  that  the  pleasantry  had  gone  far 
enough. 

"  No,"  said  Burr,  pleasantly.  "  She  sent  me  a  beau 
tiful  bouquet  of  flowers  painted  on  porcelain.  There 
was  no  name  attached  so  I  returned  it  and  asked  her  to 
at  least  affix  her  initials ;  instead  of  which  she  sent  me 
a  charming  little  note." 

"  Which  you  have  no  doubt  added  to  your  collection 
of  similar  missives,"  said  Martin.  This  hit  was  so 
palpable  that  Burr  himself  joined  his  guests  in  the  mer 
riment  which  followed. 

"  At  Weimar,  I  met  Goethe,  the  greatest  poet  that 
Germany  has  produced.  He  had  just  finished  the  first 
part  of  his  Faust  and  Marguerite.  He  told  me  that  it 
had  been  in  his  mind  for  years  and  it  would  probably 
be  many  years  more  before  he  completed  it,  but  he 
hoped  to  do  so  before  his  death." 

At  this  point,  the  door  was  opened  and  a  little  boy 
and  girl  entered  the  room.  They  were  meanly  clad  and 
their  faces  showed  signs  either  of  want  or  recent  sick 
ness.  Mr.  Davis,  who  sat  nearest  the  door,  turned  to 
them,  and  said  in  a  sharp  tone :  "  Get  out  of  here !  You 
have  got  into  the  wrong  room."  They  turned  to  go, 
but,  as  they  did  so,  a  most  sorrowful  expression  settled 
upon  their  faces.  Burr's  quick  eye  took  in  the  situation 
and,  pushing  back  his  chair,  he  quickly  followed  the 
children  from  the  room.  The  guests  looked  towards 


328  BLENNERHASSETT 

the  closed  door  and  many  guesses  and  surmises  were 
made  as  to  Burr's  object  in  going  after  them. 

He  soon  returned  leading  one  by  each  hand.  On 
their  faces,  bright  smiles  had  driven  away  the  former 
sorrowful  expressions.  "  Gentlemen,"  said  Burr,  lead 
ing  the  children  forward,  "  I  wish  to  add  to  our  little 
company  my  two  companions.  Both  their  grandfathers 
fell  while  fighting  bravely  to  secure  the  liberty  of  our 
country.  Their  father  lost  an  arm  and  a  leg  in  the  Con 
tinental  army,  but  while  he  lived  managed  to  secure 
a  bare  subsistence  for  his  wife  and  little  ones.  Now 
he  is  dead  and  his  wife  is  unable  to  support  them  with 
out  their  assistance.  They  earn  money  by  going  from 
tavern  to  tavern  and  singing  to  the  guests  there  as 
sembled  a  simple  little  song  which  tells  in  rhyme  the 
story  which  I  have  just  related.  Shall  we  listen  to 
them?" 

Cries  of  "  Yes,"  "  Of  course,"  "  Certainly,"  came 
from  the  company.  Burr  placed  the  children  in  an 
advantageous  position  and  then  resumed  his  seat  at  the 
table. 

The  voices  of  the  children,  naturally  weak,  were  not 
unmusical.  The  poetry  was  in  reality  mere  doggerel 
written  in  a  stilted  and  conventional  fashion.  But  the 
little  singers  knew  the  meaning  and  felt  the  force  of 
every  word  as  it  fell  from  their  lips,  and  the  song 
reached  the  hearts  of  their  listeners.  Before  they 
closed,  Burr  had  covered  his  eyes  with  his  hand  and, 
no  doubt,  was  thinking  of  the  little  boy  who  bore  his 
name.  Supposing  he  were  ever  to  be  reduced  to  such  a 
state  of  want  and  misery  and  had  no  kind  friends  to 
come  to  his  relief? 

The  little  song  was  over  and  was  received  with  ap 
plause.  '  They  are  very  much  to  be  pitied,"  remarked 
Mr.  Davis.  "  It  is  a  shame  that  the  country  does  not 
provide  for  the  support  of  the  families  of  its  veteran 
soldiers." 


AS  IN  DATS  OF  TORE        329 

"  Republics  are  always  ungrateful,"  remarked  Burr, 
"  but  what  they  fail  to  do,  good  citizens  should  combine 
to  do  in  their  collective  capacity.  I  pity  these  poor 
children  very  much.  I  pity  them  ten  dollars  worth," 
said  he  as  he  arose  and  took  that  sum  from  his  purse. 
He  placed  the  money  upon  an  empty  plate  and  said: 
"  Gentlemen,  how  much  do  you  pity  them?  " 

The  plate  was  passed  around  the  table  and  when  it 
finally  reached  Burr's  hands  again  the  sum  of  money 
that  it  contained  amounted  to  nearly  thirty  dollars. 
Emptying  the  money  remaining  in  his  purse  into  his 
hand,  he  put  it  in  his  pocket.  Then  he  placed  the  con 
tributions  in  the  purse  and  gave  it  to  the  boy  who  was 
the  elder  of  the  two,  with  a  strict  injunction  to  give  it 
to  his  mother.  Then,  stepping  to  the  door,  he  called  a 
waiter.  He  whispered  something  in  his  ear.  A  few 
minutes  later,  the  servant  returned  bearing  a  large  bas 
ket. 

"  Gentlemen,"  said  Burr,  "  there  are  many  dainties 
upon  the  table,  some  of  which  are  untasted,  while  of 
others  only  a  portion  has  been  eaten.  With  your  kind 
permission,  I  will  send  some  of  them  to  the  mother  of 
these  poor  children." 

As  with  one  accord,  the  guests  jumped  to  their  feet 
and  vied  with  each  other  in  supplying  Burr  with  viands 
from  the  table. 

"  Put  in  a  couple  of  bottles  of  wine,"  said  Martin. 
"  It  will  help  to  build  up  the  mother's  strength.  No 
doubt  she  is  worse  off  than  the  children." 

The  old  lawyer's  suggestion  was  complied  with  and 
the  waiter  was  instructed  to  accompany  the  children 
home  and  give  the  contents  of  the  basket  to  the  mother 
with  the  compliments  of  Aaron  Burr  and  his  friends. 
Burr  offered  the  waiter  some  compensation  for  his 
trouble  but  he  refused  it. 

"  Can  you  sing  any  other  song?  "  asked  Burr,  when 
the  children  were  ready  to  depart. 


330  BLENNERHASSETT 

"  We  know  one  more,"  said  the  little  girl,  "  that 
mother  taught  us." 

"What  is  it?  "asked  Burr. 

"  Mother  is  Scotch,"  said  the  little  girl,  "  and  so  was 
father.  They  used  to  sing  Auld  Lang  Syne  and  we 
learned  it  from  them." 

"  Make  room  in  the  centre  of  the  table,  gentlemen," 
cried  Burr.  A  space  was  soon  cleared.  Burr  lifted 
the  children,  one  at  a  time,  as  gently  as  the  most  loving 
father  could  have  done,  and  stood  them  side  by  side  in 
the  centre  of  the  table.  Then  the  guests  arose  from 
their  chairs  without  any  suggestion  and  stood  about 
the  table.  The  little  voices  sang  the  words  of  the  song 
and  the  chorus  was  taken  up  by  Burr  and  his  guests. 
As  he  placed  the  children  once  more  upon  the  floor,  he 
kissed  each  upon  the  forehead  and  they  then  ran  out  of 
the  room  behind  the  waiter  with  his  ponderous  basket, 
the  sound  of  their  childish  laughter  floating  back  into 
the  room. 

And  thus  ended  Aaron  Burr's  formal  welcome  home 
to  his  native  land  by  his  tried  and  true  friends. 


CHAPTER  XXIX 
A  FATHER'S  LOVE 

IT  was  early  in  the  month  of  January  in  the  year 
1813.  Burr  sat  at  his  desk  in  Colonel  Troup's 
office.  The  latter,  who  was  suffering  from  some 
slight  physical  ailment,  had  gone  home.  The  hour  was 
between  one  and  two  o'clock.  During  the  morning,  a 
long  stream  of  visitors  had  had  its  wants  attended  to 
and  had  departed.  Burr  had  just  returned  from  the 
coffee-house  where  he  had  obtained  his  lunch  and  was 
smoking  a  cigar.  It  was  with  difficulty  that  he  had 
found  sufficient  money  to  pay  for  the  modest  meal  which 
he  had  enjoyed.  Upon  his  desk  stood  four  large  law- 
books  arranged  in  the  form  of  a  rectangle  which  he 
called  "  The  Well."  Into  this  well,  it  was  his  custom  to 
throw  each  day  all  the  money  received  by  him  for  fees 
and  retainers.  That  morning  he  had  had  many, calls 
from  the  orphans  and  widows  of  Revolutionary  sol 
diers,  from  relatives  of  former  political  allies,  and  from 
many  former  political  associates  who  were  now  them 
selves  in  reduced  circumstances.  To  none  of  them  did 
he  turn  a  deaf  ear.  None  of  them  went  away  without 
some  substantial  recognition  of  their  request  for  pecu 
niary  aid.  In  but  few  cases  were  any  written  acknowl 
edgments  taken  as  a  record  of  the  loan.  In  fact,  Col 
onel  Burr  gave  as  little  personal  attention  to  the  repay 
ment  of  money  loaned  as  he  did  to  the  repayment  of 
money  borrowed.  To  use  an  idiomatic  expression,  he 
was  built  that  way;  if  he  could  make  one  account  square 
another,  financially  speaking,  he  was  satisfied. 

33 * 


332  BLENNERHASSETT 

He  leaned  back  in  his  armchair,  gave  several  strong 
puffs  from  his  cigar,  and  glanced  up  at  the  picture  of 
Theodosia  which  hung  on  the  wall  opposite  him.  Then 
he  soliloquized  half  to  himself  and  half  aloud :  "  With 
what  opposite  feelings  of  aversion  and  attraction  did 
I  return  to  my  native  land  after  an  exile  of  four  years. 
As  I  walked  through  the  streets  of  Boston  in  disguise 
and  under  an  assumed  name,  I  questioned  if  it  were 
not  better  that  Aaron  Burr  should  die  a  civil  death  and 
that  Adolphe  Arnot  should  succeed  to  his  fortune."  He 
leaned  back  in  his  armchair  and  laughed  satirically. 
"  My  fortune !  "  Then  his  manner  changed.  "  No, 
that  thought  conquered  me  in  a  weak  moment ;  it  was 
unworthy  of  Aaron  Burr  who  still  has  fortune  and 
fame  before  him."  He  arose  from  his  chair,  walked 
across  the  room  and  leaned  his  elbow  on  the  old  colonial 
mantelpiece,  beneath  which  ,a  bright  wood  fire  was  burn 
ing,  the  logs  and  gnarled  roots  sending  a  shower  of 
sparks  up  the  wide-mouthed  chimney,  occasionally 
throwing  some  into  the  office  itself  where  they  expired 
harmlessly  on  the  sanded  floor.  "  I  came  here,  found 
friends  as  well  as  foes.  My  dear  Troup  gave  me  this 
office — put  business  in  my  way — the  first  three  weeks  I 
took  two  thousand  dollars  in  fees — with  strength  of 
will  and  Theodosia  and  her  boy — " 

Before  he  could  complete  his  speech,  the  office  door 
was  opened  suddenly  and  Blennerhassett's  old  servant, 
Ransome,  entered.  The  old  negro's  face  was  beaming 
with  smiles,  and  as  Burr  advanced  towards  him  with 
outstretched  hand  he  emitted  one  of  those  oily,  unc 
tuous  chuckles,  the  vocal  construction  of  which  he  had 
evidently  not  forgotten.  Burr  cried : 

"  Welcome,  Ransome !  Your  old  black  face  looks 
brighter  than  an  angel's  to  me  for  you  bring  me  tidings 
from  my  daughter  Theodosia  and  Gamp.  Speak !  Are 
they  well?" 

Ransome  assumed  a  politic  expression :  "  Lor'  bless 


A  FATHER'S  LOVE  333 

you,  Massa,  they  were  well,  very  well  when  I  lef  'em 
mos'  three  weeks  ago.  Miss  Theodosy,  she  was  nerv 
ous  like  'cause  she  hadn't  got  no  letter  from  you,  and 
Massa  Gamp,  he,  well  he  was  a  little  ailin',  but  take  'em 
all  together  everybody  was  well." 

Burr  did  not  apparently  notice  the  conflicting  ele 
ments  in  Ransome's  statement.  "  Yes,  yes,  poor  girl, 
my  letters  must  have  often  failed  to  reach  her — and 
poor  Gamp — just  like  his  mother — such  a  slight  physi 
cal  frame.  But  you  didn't  come  alone,  Ransome?  " 

"  Lor'  bless  you,  no,  Massa,"  cried  Ransome.  "  I 
came  with  Massa  Alston.  You  know  there's  a  war 
with  England  and  Massa  Alston  is  goin'  to  be  a  general. 
We  stopped  in  Washington  and  Philadelphy  and  we 
jess  got  to  New  York  this  noon.  He  sent  me  out  to 
find  you.  He  is  at  the  inn  reading  his  letters.  He  said 
when  I  found  you  to  come  and  tell  him  and  he  would 
come  to  see  you  right  off." 

"  I  suppose,"  said  Burr,  "  that  he  has  a  letter  from 
Theodosia.  I,  too,  am  expecting  one  by  this  mail.  Do 
you  know  where  the  post-office  is,  Ransome  ?  "  The 
old  negro  nodded.  "  Well,  here  is  some  money;  go 
and  see  if  you  can  bring  me  that  most  welcome  of  all 
gifts — a  letter  from  my  daughter  Theodosia." 

With  another  chuckle,  Ransome  left  the  office.  He 
had  no  sooner  closed  the  door  when  it  was  opened  again 
and  what  Burr  supposed  to  be  a  client  enterd. 

"  How  do  you  do,  Burr?  "  the  newcomer  remarked. 

Burr  resumed  the  chair  before  his  desk.  Then  he 
addressed  the  visitor :  "  Good  afternoon,  sir.  Have  a 
chair?  How  can  I  serve  you?  " 

"  You  can't  serve  me  at  all,"  the  man  replied,  "  I 
have  come  to  serve  a  writ  on  you — not  the  first  time  I 
have  had  that  pleasure." 

"What  do  you  mean,  sir?"  asked  Burr,  "I  never 
saw  you  before." 

The  man  rejoined :  "  Your  memory  is  poor,  Burr. 


334  BLENNERHASSETT 

Have  you  forgotten  Blennerhassett  Island  and  your 
arrest  for  treason  by  Mr.  Graham — that's  me — the 
special  agent  of  the  United  States  government.  You 
have  fallen  considerably  in  public  estimation  since  then, 
Burr."  Up  to  this  time  Graham  had  remained 
standing.  He  now  accepted  Burr's  invitation,  and, 
throwing  himself  into  the  proffered  chair,  looked  pat 
ronizingly  at  Burr. 

Burr  fixed  his  sharp  eyes  upon  him  :  "  You  must  have 
risen  in  public  estimation." 

"  How  so  ?  "  asked  Graham. 

"  Because,"  replied  Burr,  "  any  honest  employment 
commands  more  respect  than  does  the  life  of  a  spy  and 
informer." 

Graham  smiled:  "  Well,  I  won't  get  mad  about  that; 
that's  all  gone  by  now.  That  duel  of  yours  with  Hamil 
ton  was  a  foolish  piece  of  business." 

"  You  do  not  have  a  very  high  opinion  of  my  late  an 
tagonist,"  remarked  Burr,  coolly. 

"  Hamilton  was  a  gentleman  in  every  respect,"  said 
Graham. 

"  If  I  had  not  known  that,  I  never  should  have  met 
him,"  Burr  answered,  proudly. 

Graham  smiled  again :  "  It's  a  pity  you  were  not 
always  so  particular  about  your  company.  You  have 
aided  a  great  many  bad  men,  Burr — fellows  with  pretty 
black  characters." 

Burr  looked  at  the  brightly-burning  fire  in  the  grate : 
'  They  may  be  black  to  the  world,  I  care  not  how  black; 
they  were  ever  white  to  me." 

"  I  am  afraid  their  gratitude  never  did  you  much 
good,"  the  other  remarked. 

Burr  arose  from  his  chair : 

'  There  you  are  mistaken.  Let  me  give  you  an  in 
stance.  After  the  attack  on  Quebec,  during  the  retreat, 
I  found  an  English  officer  dying  from  starvation.  I 
gave  him  water  and  a  piece  of  dried  horse-tongue  that 


A  FATHER'S  LOVE  335 

I  fortunately  had  with  me.  Thirty-six  years  after,  I 
met  this  officer  in  Scotland  and,  with  his  daughter,  over 
a  good  dinner,  we  fought  our  battles  over  again.  I  saved 
the  life  of  an  enemy  and  made  two  friends.  Is  grati 
tude  lacking  there?  " 

Graham  arose  and  waved  the  paper  that  he  held  in 
his  hand  back  and  forth :  "  I  have  no  time  to  listen  to 
stories.  How  about  this  writ — what  are  you  going  to 
do  about  it?" 

"  In  two  hours  the  claim  shall  be  settled,"  Burr  re 
plied. 

"  Well,  if  it  isn't,  you  know,"  began  Graham — 

Burr  answered  the  implied  threat :  "  Sir !  I  told  you 
the  claim  would  be  settled  in  two  hours.  Good  after 
noon."  After  Graham  went  out,  Burr  said  to  himself : 
"  The  insolence  of  that  fellow !  But  I  conquered  my 
self  and  that  conquered  him.  That  claim  of  Graham's 
against  me  is  an  unjust  one,  but  it  would  open  many  old 
wounds  to  defend  myself — as  I  could.  I  will  pay  it. 
To  gain  a  footing  here  I  will  even  submit  to  injustice." 

While  talking,  Burr  had  risen  from  his  chair  and 
walked  up  and  down  the  room.  The  office  door  was 
thrown  open  and  a  loud  voice  inquired : 

"  Does  Colonel  Burr  have  an  office  here  with  Colonel 
Troup?" 

Burr  turned  quickly.  That  voice  was  well  known  to 
him.  It  had  lost  none  of  its  directness  or  ringing 
quality. 

"Is  that  you,  Van  Ness?"  he  cried.  "Come  in! 
I  am  delighted  to  see  you."  The  two  men  who  had 
been  intimate  friends  at  the  bar,  on  the  hustings,  and  on 
the  field  of  honor,  grasped  each  other's  hands  warmly. 

"  I  am  glad  to  see  you  again,  Burr,  after  your 
long " 

Burr  broke  in :  "  Exile !  call  it  by  its  right  name,  Van 
Ness."  The  two  old  friends  seated  themselves.  Van 
Ness  accepted  the  proffered  cigar. 


336  BLENNERHASSETT 

"  I  should  have  seen  you  sooner,  Burr,  but  my  health 
has  been  quite  poor  and  I  have  been  out  West  looking 
after  some  investments  and  having  a  little  change  of 
scene  after  so  many  years  spent  as  lawyer  and  judge. 
Age  does  not  seem  to  bear  down  heavily  upon  you, 
Burr.  But  how  is  that  dainty  little  lady,  your  daugh 
ter?" 

"  I  am  sorry  to  say,"  replied  Burr,  "  that  she  is  not 
in  very  good  health,  and  she  never  will  be  as  long  as 
she  lives  near  those  cursed  rice  swamps.  If  I  could 
only  induce  her  to  come  to  New  York  and  live  here 
with  me,  I  should  be  the  happiest  of  men." 

"  I  have  always  considered  your  love  for  your  daugh 
ter,  Burr,  one  of  the  most  remarkable  traits  of  a  very  re 
markable  man." 

"  Remarkable  is  not  synonymous  with  successful,  you 
know,  Van  Ness." 

"  The  true  measure  of  success,"  his  friend  replied, 
"  is  found  within  our  own  souls  and  is  not  determined 
by  the  estimate  that  others  place  upon  our  actions.  You, 
at  least,  have  been  successful  in  rearing  a  daughter 
worthy  of  your  utmost  love." 

"  Yes,"  assented  Burr,  "  my  love  for  my  daughter  is 
the  best  and  truest  part  of  me.  My  affection  for  her 
and  my  ambition  for  military  renown  have  been  the 
moving  springs  of  my  life." 

"How  about  law,  politics,  and  the  ladies?"  asked 
Van  Ness,  with  a  smile. 

"  Never  loved  for  themselves,  but  only  as  means 
to  an  end.  I  would  rather  conquer  one  city  than  a 
thousand  hearts.  I  would  rather  write  one  military 
proclamation  than  a  thousand  briefs  or  four  presidential 
messages." 

Van  Ness  abruptly  changed  the  subject :  "  I  hope  your 
health  was  good  while  you  were  away." 

"  Poor  health  is  a  crime  for  which  I  could  never  for 
give  myself.  A  sick  man  is  a  very  contemptible  animal, 


A  FATHER'S  LOVE  337 

Van  Ness.  How  have  my  enemies  busied  themselves 
during  my  absence?  " 

"  In  discussing  your  political  and  social  achieve 
ments,"  laughed  Van  Ness. 

"  Has  the  bitterness  against  me  on  account  of  Hamil 
ton's  death  died  out  to  any  extent?  " 

"  But  little,"  his  visitor  replied.  "  The  mere  mention 
of  your  name  leads  his  friends  to  revive  the  whole  mis 
fortune.  It  is  like  waving  a  red  flag  before  a  mad  bull." 

"  Ah !  Van  Ness,  if  I  had  read  Sterne  more  and  poli 
tics  less,  I  should  have  known  that  the  world  was  wide 
enough  for  Hamilton  and  me.  And  the  Blennerhassett 
matter?  Has  the  public  mind  regained  its  reason?  " 

:'  Your  enemies  still  maintain  that  you  intended  to 
bring  about  a  separation  of  the  Union." 

Burr  cried,  indignantly : 

"  What  a  baseless  falsehood !  I  should  as  soon  have 
thought  of  taking  possession  of  the  moon  and  inform 
ing  my  friends  that  I  intended  to  divide  it  among  them. 
To  what  other  attacks  have  I  been  subjected?  " 

"  Your  past  social  victories  have  caused  much  ani 
mated  discussion.  By  the  way,  Colonel,  were  you 
really  the  gay  Lothario  they  say  you  were  ?  " 

"  I  will  answer  that  as  a  discreet  maiden  would,"  re 
plied  Burr.  "  I  never  kiss  and  tell." 

"  That  is  what  troubles  them.  Some  say  that  you 
will  tell  and  mean  to  tell.  They  say  you  have  in  your 
possession  letters  that  would  compromise  the  fair  fame 
of  many  ladies  in  high  social  position  and  that  it  is  your 
intention  to  use  these  letters  as  levers  to  lift  you  back 
into  the  social  circle  that  now  rejects  but  fears  you." 

"  They  can  dismiss  their  foolish  fears.  I  should  as 
soon  poison  the  springs  and  food  that  gave  sustenance 
to  my  enemy  as  divulge  one  thought  that  would  injure 
those  ladies  who  have  trusted  me.  Van  Ness,  those 
letters  are  in  safe  hands.  While  I  live,  they  may  pro 
tect  me  from  unscrupulous  enemies.  When  I  am  dead, 


338  BLENNERHASSETT 

they  shall  be  burned.  They  shall  never  be  used  for  a 
post  mortem  vengeance.  Let  me  tell  you  a  little  story. 
One  day,  I  was  looking  at  some  of  my  love  trophies 
when  I  was  startled  by  a  knock  at  the  door.  I  pushed 
the  articles  into  the  box  and  locked  it,  and  then  ad 
mitted  my  fair  visitor.  Her  eye  lighted  upon  a  scrap 
of  ribbon  which  bound  a  lock  of  hair  that  I  had  failed 
to  put  away.  With  true  feminine  intuition,  she  sur 
mised  that  I  had  had  a  visitor.  '  Come !  tell  me  directly, 
what  little  French  girl  you  have  had  here.  Whose 
hair  is  this  ?  '  I  summoned  all  my  dignity  and  said : 
'  Madam,  it  belonged  to  a  lady  who  was  once  under  my 
protection ;  and  a  woman  who  has  once  borne  that  rela 
tion  is  sacred  to  me  forever.' ' 

"  I  suppose  your  fair  visitor's  confidence  was 
strengthened  by  your  remarks,"  said  Van  Ness, 
with  a  grim  smile. 

"  I  have  a  very  vivid  recollection  that  it  was." 

"  To  own  one's  peccadilloes  is  manly,"  remarked 
Van  Ness,  "  but  is  it  equally  so  to  assume  responsibili 
ties  that  do  not  belong  to  you?  You  never  denied 
publicly  the  assertion*  of  Mrs.  D —  which  you  told  me 
privately  were  untrue." 

"  Van  Ness,"  replied  Burr,  in  a  serious  tone,  "  when 
a  lady  publicly  proclaims  me  as  her  participant  in  an 
affair  of  gallantry,  I  trust  I  shall  always  be  too  much  of 
a  gentleman  to  disavow  the  implied  honor." 

How  strange  it  is  that  Nature  often  implants  in  the 
human  form  mental  attributes  of  the  highest  degree  and 
couples  With  them  physical  propensities  of  the  lowest 
order.  It  would  seem  as  though  these  opposite  qualities 
were  combined  in  order  to  prevent  the  inordinate  ex 
altation  which  follows  the  use  and  application  of  the 
highest  mental  attainments.  Nature  herself  supplies 
a  parallel.  In  the  tropical  regions,  flowers  and  plants 
reach  the  most  luxuriant  growth  and  possess  the  most 
vivid  coloring;  but,  as  attendants  upon  this  wealth  of 


A  FATHER'S  LOVE  339 

beauty,  Nature  sends  the  most  venomous  reptiles,  the 
most  poisonous  insects,  and  the  most  noxious  vapors. 
It  would  seem  as  though  the  highest  development  in  all 
forms  of  life  were  joined  to  that  of  lesser  worth  in 
order  to  secure  something  approaching  an  equality  of 
endowment. 

The  minds  of  philosophers  often  lead  them  to  strange 
conclusions;  to  some,  evil  is  but  the  lesser  good;  to 
others,  pain  is  but  pleasure  intensified;  the  Buddhists 
teach  that  all  pain  springs  from  desire;  remove  desire, 
pain  vanishes,  and  Nirvana,  or  endless  quiet,  peace,  and 
contentment  follow. 

Another  parallel.  Hamilton  never  tired,  in  those 
letters  which  he  wrote  to  personal  or  political  friends, 
and  even  to  persons  with  whom  he  was  not  acquainted, 
of  calling  Aaron  Burr  the  Catiline  of  America.  The 
simile  was  incorrect  and  inappropriate.  Aaron  Burr 
never  resembled  Catiline  in  the  slightest  degree.  Had 
Hamilton  but  compared  Burr  to  Julius  Caesar  there 
would  have  been  both  truth  and  aptness  in  the  allusion. 
History  informs  us  that  "  Julius  Caesar's  besetting  sin 
was  sensuality,  but,  without  meaning  to  detract  from 
the  criminality  of  his  conduct  in  this  respect,  it  may 
be  said  that  it  was  as  much  the  sin  of  the  times  in  which 
he  lived  as  his  own,  and  that  the  superlative  grandeur 
of  his  position  gave  a  prominence  to  his  licentiousness 
which  a  more  humble  lot  would  have  escaped.  His 
intellect  was  marvellously  versatile;  in  everything  he 
excelled.  He  was  not  only  the  first  general  and  states 
man  of  his  age,  but  he  was,  excepting  Cicero,  its 
greatest  orator.  As  an  historian  he  has  never  been 
surpassed  and  rarely  equalled  in  simplicity  and  vigor  of 
style,  and  in  the  truthfulness  with  which  he  narrates 
events  of  which  he  was  an  eye-witness.  He  was,  in 
addition,  a  mathematician,  philologist,  jurist,  and  archi 
tect,  and  always  took  great  pleasure  in  literary  society." 

There  is  one  discordant  note  in  this  parallel.     In 


340  BLENNERHASSETT 

modern  times,  the  American  Julius  Caesar  killed  the 
American  Brutus  instead  of  Brutus  killing  Caesar ! 

Van  Ness  took  a  sealed  packet  from  his  pocket  and 
extended  it  to  Burr.  "  Do  you  recognize  that  ?  "  Burr 
nodded.  "  I  have  had  it  in  my  possession  now  for 
nearly  nine  years.  Judging  from  what  the  doctors  tell 
me  about  my  physical  condition,  you  are  likely  to  out 
live  me  and  I  have  thought  it  best  to  place  this  valuable 
document  again  in  your  hands." 

As  he  said  this,  he  laid  it  on  the  desk  before  Colonel 
Burr.  "  I  wish  you  would  look  at  this  matter  in  the 
same  light  as  I  do,  Colonel.  I  believe  there  never  was 
a  more  auspicious  time  to  break  the  seals  of  that  docu 
ment  and  make  its  contents  public  than  the  present.  It 
would  open  hundreds  of  doors  that  are  now  closed  to 
you.  You  are  still  a  young  man;  you  give  promise 
of  living  to  an  advanced  age  and  there  is  no  reason  why 
your  closing  years  should  not  be  blessed  with  that  pros 
perity  and  happiness  which  have  so  far  been  denied  you 
except  in  a  transitory  and  limited  way." 

'  Thank  you,"  replied  Burr,  "  I  appreciate  to  the 
fullest  extent  the  earnest  friendship  and  good  will  that 
have  prompted  you  to  utter  those  words,  but  I  must  ad 
here  to  my  original  determination.  I  prefer  to  be  vin 
dicated  before  sixty  million  intelligent,  unbiased  free 
men,  the  future  citizens  of  the  United  States,  rather 
than  seek  such  vindication  from  seven  million  of  my 
present  fellow-citizens.  The  whole  lump  is  leavened 
with  prejudice,  and  the  children  are  being  brought  up 
to  think  as  their  fathers  and  mothers  do.  My  hope  is 
in  the  third  generation." 

"  Perhaps  you  are  right,"  replied  Van  Ness,  "  but, 
at  any  rate,  I  know  it  is  useless  to  attempt  to  change 
your  mind.  My  interest  in  and  regard  for  you  led  me 
to  accept  the  charge  of  this  packet,  and  I  now  deliver 
it  again  into  your  keeping,  knowing  that  you  will  trans 
mit  it  to " 


A  FATHER'S  LOVE  341 

"  To  younger  ones,  I  may,"  exclaimed  Burr,  "  but  to 
none  more  interested  or  more  devoted.  Well,  good-bye 
for  the  present,"  said  Burr,  as  Van  Ness  rose  to  go. 
"  Drop  in  within  an  hour  if  you  can ;  I  expect  a  letter 
from  Theodosia  and  I  know  you  will  be  glad  to  hear 
from  her." 

"  Certainly  I  shall,"  his  friend  replied.  "  I  will  run 
in  again.  I  hope  you  will  hear  only  the  best  of  news." 
They  shook  hands  once  more.  The  door  closed,  but 
Van  Ness's  heavy  tread  could  be  heard  until  he  had 
descended  the  flight  of  stairs  that  led  to  the  street. 

The  afternoon,  so  far,  had  been  unusually  prolific  in 
old-time  suggestions.  "  Those  letters,"  thought  Burr 
to  himself.  "  They  would  fan  the  fiery  feelings  of 
many  a  brother,  husband,  and  father,  and  lead  to  many 
a  duel.  No!  I  have  had  enough  of  duelling;  the  dead 
man  wins  the  battle  after  all.  I  will  never  use  those 
letters  as  a  weapon  if  they  let  me  alone.  If  my  enemies 
go  too  far,  their  sisters,  wives,  and  daughters  may  give 
them  good  advice." 

There  was  a  timid  knock  at  the  door.  "  A  lady," 
thought  Burr,  and  instead  of  calling  out,  "  Come  in," 
Burr  opened  the  door  himself  and  admitted  a  very  hand 
some  woman,  apparently  about  thirty  years  of  age. 
Burr  did  not  recognize  her,  but,  naturally,  made  one  of 
his  courtly  bows  and,  in  his  genial,  winning  manner, 
said: 

"  I  am  delighted  to  see  you  Mrs. " 

"  Not  Mrs.,  but  Miss — Miss  Kent." 

Burr,  for  once,  forgot  himself  and  said,  unthinkingly : 
"What!  Miss  Kent  yet?" 

"  Yes,  Miss  Kent  yet !  "  replied  the  lady,  with  some 
asperity  in  her  tone. 

With  his  usual  facility,  he  extricated  himself  from 
this  dilemma.  "  Well,  Madam,  if  you  are  Miss  Kent, 
yet,  I  venture  to  assert  that  it  is  not  the  fault  of  my 
sex." 


342  BLENNERHASSETT 

The  lady  smiled  and  said :  "  You  do  not  recognize 
me,  Colonel  Burr.  No  wonder;  it  is  eight  years  since 
we  met.  I  was  then  plain  Emily  Kent 

"  Seven  years  change  the  man.  No  wonder  it  has 
taken  one  year  more  to  transform  plain  Emily  into 
beautiful  Emily." 

Colonel  Burr  led  the  lady  to  a  chair  and  then  took  a 
seat  himself.  "  I  read  something  in  the  paper  a  few 
days  ago,"  remarked  Miss  Kent,  "  that,  under  certain 
circumstances,  might  induce  me  to  marry." 

"  What  was  it?  "  asked  Burr,  showing  great  interest. 

"  Listen  and  I  will  tell  you,"  said  Miss  Kent.  "  A 
man  quarreled  with  his  wife  and  he  has  been  adjudged 
insane  and  sent  to  an  asylum." 

Both  laughed  heartily  and  Burr  remarked :  "  If  the 
judges  take  that  view  of  the  case  our  lunatic  asylums 
will  soon  be  full  of  married  men." 

"  Did  you  have  a  fine  time  in  Europe?  "  Miss  Kent 
inquired. 

"  Like  a  year's  weather — some  sunshine  and  some 
shadow.  I  saw  Vanderlyn." 

"  I  remember  him,"  said  Miss  Kent.  "  You  told  us 
about  him  one  evening  at  a  dinner  party  at  Richmond 
Hill.  I  shall  never  forget  the  beautiful  times  I  had 
there.  I  was  only  seventeen  then,  and  your  great 
house  seemed  an  enchanted  palace  to  me.  How  is  he 
getting  on  ?  " 

"  He  is  doing  famously.  I  dined  and  wined  with 
poets,  authors,  diplomats,  princes  and  princesses,  queens 
and  kings.  I  put  the  kings  last  where  they  belong. 
Let  me  give  you  a  maxim,  Emily;  read  a  book  before 
you  see  the  author.  I  was  introduced  to  one  in  a  Paris 
salon.  He  talked  book  for  an  hour,  and,  as  I  had  not 
read  his  work,  you  can  imagine  my  misery.  But  even 
that  was  not  as  painful  as  my  experience  the  next  day." 

"  Why,  what  happened  then  ?  " 

"  I  read  his  book." 


A  FATHER'S  LOVE  343 

"What!  was  it  bad?" 

"  The  plot  was  beautiful — in  Shakespeare's  hands  it 
could  have  been  made  famous  for  all  time,  but  my  poor 
literary  friend  was  unequal  to  the  task." 

"  What  was  the  story?  " 

"  Only  this  simple  tale  of  human  anguish  and  misery. 
A  poor  Venetian  gondolier  loved  a  maiden  of  Austrian 
birth  whose  surpassing  charms  had  attracted  the  at 
tention  of  a  gay  young  libertine,  a  member  of  the  Vene 
tian  nobility.  The  young  nobleman  was  sent  on  a  dip 
lomatic  mission  to  Vienna,  and,  during  his  absence, 
the  gondolier  married  the  girl  and  they  became  the 
happy  parents  of  two  beautiful  children.  The  noble 
man  returned.  Filled  with  rage  at  the  escape  of  the 
girl,  he  declared  the  wife  was  an  illegitimate  child — 
she  found  friends  to  protect  her  good  name — her  father 
and  mother  were  brought  from  Austria  and  the  wicked 
charge  was  disproved.  But  the  Devil  helped  the  noble 
man,  for  the  fact  came  out  during  the  trial  that  the  man 
and  wife  were  in  truth  brother  and  sister." 

"  Horrible !  "  cried  Miss  Kent,  and  she  raised  her 
hands  as  though  to  push  away  an  ugly  phantom. 

"  The  idiotic  Frenchman  closed  the  story  in  true 
French  style.  The  young  man  went  home  with  his 
father,  the  State  took  the  children,  and  the  nobleman 
took  the  poor  woman  who  was  a  wife  and  yet  no 
wife." 

"  Would  Shakespeare  have  ended  it  in  a  manner  more 
true  to  nature?  "  asked  the  lady. 

"  No,  untrue,"  cried  Burr,  "  and  that  would  have 
made  the  story  deathless.  A  father  and  mother  guilty, 
but  yet  guiltless,  would  have  killed  their  children  and 
then  died  in  each  other's  arms !  " 

"  And  would  the  public  applaud  that,  Colonel  Burr? 
I  have  heard  they  do  not  like  such  tragic  takings-off." 

"  Applause  can  be  obtained  for  anything.  In  every 
theatre  in  Europe  that  I  visited,  they  have  a  parcel  of 


344  BLENNERHASSETT 

rascals  hired  to  applaud  everything,  and  they  are  paid 
extra  for  tears  and  lamentations." 

His  fair  visitor  proceeded  in  her  questioning : 

"  What  displeased  you  most  while  in  Europe  ?  " 

"  The  servants.  My  valet  in  Sweden  was  of  no 
earthly  use  to  me.  He  got  drunk  before  dinner." 

The  lady  arose  to  go.  Burr  opened  the  door  and 
bowed  as  gallantly  as  if  it  had  been  the  exit  of  a 
queen.  On  the  threshold,  the  lady  stopped,  suddenly, 
"  Why,  I  am  ashamed  of  myself !  How  is  Theo- 
dosia?" 

Burr  replied :  "  I  am  expecting  a  letter  every  minute. 
My  servant  has  gone  to  the  post-office.  If  you  will 
honor  me  with  a  call  later  this  afternoon  or  to-morrow, 
I  shall  be  happy  to  give  you  the  latest  intelligence." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  Miss  Kent. 

Burr  bowed  low  over  the  little  hand  that  was  ex- 
'tended  to  him  and  pressed  his  lips  to  the  gloved  fingers. 
The  door  closed  upon  her.  She  had  been  one  of  the 
lovely  girls  whose  presence  at  the  dinners,  receptions, 
and  musical  and  literary  entertainments  at  Richmond 
Hill  had  so  greatly  contributed  to  their  success;  for 
wherever  beauty  congregates  it  will  be  followed  in  time 
by  wealth,  fashion,  and  intellect. 

As  Burr  once  more  seated  himself  before  his  desk, 
he  thought :  "  What  a  power  the  voice  and  smile  of  a 
pretty  woman  have  to  drive  away  melancholy  and  make 
one  cling  to  life.  When  Theodosia  and  her  boy  are 
with  me  again,  I  can  laugh  at  fate  and  pity  my  enemies. 
Ah!  I  must  borrow  the  money  to  pay  that  claim  of 
Graham's." 

"  Here  'tis,  Massa  Burr,"  cried  Ransome  as  he  en 
tered,  holding  a  letter  aloft  in  his  hand. 

In  an  instant  Burr  had  taken  possession  of  it.  "  It 
is  from  Theodosia;  it  is  her  writing.  Sit  down,  Ran 
some,  while  I  read  my  letter.  Now  I  shall  hear  from 
Theodosia  and  Gamp." 


A  FATHER'S  LOVE  345 

Burr  opened  the  letter  and,  with  an  eager  glance, 
began  to  peruse  it.  He  had  read  a  few  lines  when  the 
smile  died  out  of  his  face  and  a  look  of  agony  took 
its  place.  Ransome  had  kept  his  eyes  fixed  upon  the 
reader  and,  when  he  saw  the  change  in  his  expression, 
he  asked : 

"  Bad  news,  Massa?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Burr,  slowly,  "  bad  news  and  good 
news.  My  darling  boy,  my  namesake — my  Gamp — 
our  Gamp,  is  dead.  Poor  Theodosia!  how  lonely  she 
will  be." 

Ransome's  honest  old  black  face  showed  his  sor 
row: 

"  Poor  Gamp !  We  had  such  nice  times  together. 
He  always  stood  up  for  Uncle  Ransome — yes,  Massa, 
he  called  me  Uncle.  But  the  good  news,  Massa?" 

"  The  good  news,  Ransome,  is  that  my  daughter  is 
coming  to  New  York  to  see  her  father  after  a  separa 
tion  of  almost  five  years." 

Again  the  office  door  was  thrown  open;  this  time  to 
admit  the  man  who  was  united  by  the  closest  bonds  to 
Burr — his  son-in-law,  Joseph  Alston. 

"Joseph!" 

"  Father !  " 

The  two  men  embraced  each  other  and  stood  silent 
for  several  minutes.  Ransome  went  on  tiptoe  into  the 
private  office  and  closed  the  door.  Then  his  own  feel 
ings  gave  way.  "  Poor  Gamp !  "  he  cried  a  dozen  times 
as  the  tears  fell  from  his  great  honest  eyes. 

Burr  broke  the  silence :   "  Our  boy  is  gone." 

"  Yes,"  cried  Alston,  "  and  Theodosia,  judging  from 
her  letter,  is  almost  distracted.  I  would  return  at  once 
but  I  have  been  commissioned  as  a  brigadier-general  in 
the  army  and  I  must  assume  my  duties  immediately.  I 
have  written  her  stating  the  case  plainly.  I  know  what 
her  answer  will  be.  She  will  tell  me  to  do  my  duty. 
He  died  three  weeks  ago  and,  of  course,  has  been  buried 


346  BLENNERHASSETT 

long  ere  this.     Nothing  could  have  induced  me  to  leave 
home  had  I  imagined  the  end  was  so  near." 

"  You  could  not  foresee  it,"  interposed  Burr.  '  You 
are  not  to  blame.  But  she  is  coming  North  at  once. 
With  all  her  physical  weakness,  Joseph,  she  is  a  strong 
woman  both  in  mind  and  heart.  I  have  been  her 
teacher  and  can  estimate  her  fortitude  better  than  any 
one  else." 

"  Yes,  she  is  her  father's  daughter,"  assented  Alston. 
"  She  writes  me  that  she  is  coming  by  boat  as  she  could 
not  undergo  the  fatigue  of  land  travel  during  the  winter 
season  and  in  her  present  low  spirits." 

The  two  men  moved  towards  the  open  fireplace  and, 
unconsciously,  both  looked  up  at  the  same  time.  Their 
eyes  fell  upon  the  picture  of  Theodosia. 

"  With  what  joy,"  cried  Burr,  "  shall  I  clasp  her  in 
these  arms  again!  During  these  long,  weary  years, 
Joseph,  Vanderlyn's  picture  of  Theodosia  has  been  my 
companion,  my  joy,  my  solace.  Do  you  know,  when  in 
Sweden  I  took  it  to  Breda,  the  great  Swedish  painter, 
for  renovation.  When  traveling,  I  rolled  it  up,  but  I 
did  not  know  enough  to  roll  the  painted  side  out.  In 
contrast  with  Breda's  bright  coloring,  Theodosia's 
picture  seemed  faded — and  that  impression  has  almost 
made  me  superstitious." 

"  Dismiss  the  foolish  fancy.  We  have  suffered  but 
Theodosia  is  left  to  us.  She  will  remain  here  for  the 
winter  and  you  will  be  so  happy." 

"  What  vessel  did  she  sail  on  ?  "  asked  Burr.  "  She 
does  not  say  in  her  letter  to  me." 

'  The  '  Patriot,'  "  replied  Alston. 

A  heavy  tread  was  heard  ascending  the  stairs  and 
Van  Ness,  who  had  agreed  to  return,  entered  the  room. 

"Well,  Alston,  glad  to  see  you.  How  are  you? 
How  is  your  wife  and  little  Gamp?  " 

Alston,  unable  to  speak,  turned  away. 
'  Van  Ness,  Gamp  is  dead,  and  my  bereaved  daugh- 


A  FATHER'S  LOVE  347 

ter  is  on  her  way  to  New  York.  We  are  going  to  the 
wharf  to  see  if  there  are  any  tidings.  Come  with  us." 

Burr  had  noticed  Ransome's  retreat  into  the  private 
office.  He  opened  the  door  and  called  him.  "  If  any 
one  asks  for  me,  Ransome,  I  shall  be  back  in  a  short 
time.  We  are  going  to  the  wharf  to  see  if  we  can 
obtain  any  tidings  about  the  '  Patriot.' ' 

When  Ransome  was  left  alone  his  thoughts  reverted 
again  to  the  little  boy  who  had  been  his  almost  con 
stant  companion  for  so  many  years.  "  Poor  Gamp; 
he  called  me  Uncle  Ransome.  We  used  to  go  ridin' 
together,  and  fishin',  and  he  never  said  a  cross  word  to 
me  in  all  his  life." 

Here  he  would  undoubtedly  have  given  way  to  an 
other  burst  of  grief  had  not  a  sharp  knock  been  heard 
upon  the  office  door.  Ransome  opened  the  door  and 
started  back  in  astonishment. 

"  Good  Lor'  preserve  us !  "  cried  he,  "  Massa  and 
Missus  Blennerhassett.  Why  I  haven't  laid  eyes  on 
you  since  I  went  to  Souf  Car'lina  five  years  ago." 

Mr.  Blennerhassett's  steps  were  slow  and  feeble. 
Mrs.  Blennerhassett  led  her  husband  to  the  sofa  and 
took  a  seat  beside  him.  Then  she  spoke : 

"  We  have  been  through  much  suffering  and  many 
privations  since  we  last  met,  Ransome." 

"  So  has  Massa  Burr." 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  it,"  she  replied. 

"  Hush !  Margaret,"  cried  her  husband. 

Ransome  felt  that  he  must  impart  the  sad  news  that 
had  just  been  received.  "  Miss  Theodosy's  boy,  little 
Gamp,  is  dead.  The  news  jess  come  this  very  minute." 

"  Harman,  he  is  bowed  beneath  a  great  affliction. 
Perhaps  in  his  own  distress  he  will  be  mindful  of  the 
miseries  of  others.  Will  he  return  soon  ?  " 

"  He  tole  me  to  tell  anybody  that  asked  for  him  that 
he  would  be  back  in  a  few  minutes,"  Ransome  replied. 

"  Margaret,  I  dread  this  interview.     I  am  so  weak. 


348  BLENNERHASSETT 

I  wish  the  time  for  meeting  him  was  not  so  soon  and  so 
sudden  as  it  will  be." 

Ransome  opened  the  door  of  the  private  office. 
"  Come  in  here  and  rest  yourself,  Massa  Blennerhassett. 
I  won't  tell  him  you're  here,  till  you're  ready."  Ran 
some  assisted  Mr.  Blennerhassett  to  rise  and  all  three 
entered  the  private  office,  a  capacious  and  comfortable 
armchair  being  allotted  to  Mr.  Blennerhassett. 

"  And  your  mother,  Ransome,  did  you  see  her  as  you 
expected  to  when  you  left  us  ?  " 

"  Bless  you,  Massa,  yes — and  Massa  Alston  bought 
her  and  we  lived  together  until  a  year  ago  when  she 
died  in  these  arms." 

Blennerhassett  extended  his  hand  to  Ransome,  which 
his  old  servant  took.  "  You  were  always  a  good  boy, 
Ransome." 

When  Ransome  closed  the  door  of  the  private  office, 
leaving  his  old  master  and  mistress  together,  Burr  en 
tered.  "  Has  she  come,  Massa?  "  cried  Ransome. 

Burr  threw  himself  into  his  armchair.  "  No,  Ran 
some,  no  tidings.  The  boat  is  a  week  overdue,  but 
there  have  been  heavy  storms  on  the  North  Carolina 
coast — and — there  is  still  hope.  Mr.  Van  Ness  and 
my  son  are  at  the  wharf  now."  Burr  covered  his  eyes 
with  his  hand  and  sat  as  if  in  deep  thought.  Ransome 
stood  regarding  him.  Suddenly  he  remembered  some 
thing  that  for  the  time  being  he  had  forgotten. 

"  Massa  Burr !  "  he  cried,  "  Massa  Burr !  Massa 
Burr !  Massa  Burr ! !  "  cried  Ransome  again,  his  voice 
rising  higher  with  each  repetition  of  the  name. 

Burr  dropped  his  hand.  Ransome,  in  a  mysterious 
'  way,  pointed  towards  the  door  of  the  private  office. 
Burr  jumped  up  excitedly. 

"In  there?"  he  cried,  "what!  Theodosia?  Why 
didn't  you  tell  me  before?  " 

Burr  started  towards  the  private  office,  Ransome  fol 
lowing  him  wringing  his  hands  in  despair  for  he  realized 


A  FATHER'S  LOVE  349 

that  Burr  had  entirely  misunderstood  him.  Burr  threw 
open  the  door. 

"Theodosia!  Theodosia!!  come  to  your  father!" 
Mrs.  Blennerhassett  stood  before  him. 

Burr  made  an  involuntary  step  backward :  "  Good 
God!  Margaret  Blennerhassett!  you  here?  " 

'  Yes,  Colonel  Burr,  we  intrude  upon  your  privacy 
as  you  once  did  upon  ours.  Your  unwelcome  guests 
are  Harman  Blennerhassett  and  his  wife,  Margaret — 
your  victims." 

'  You  find  me  suffering  from  a  domestic  affliction." 

"  And  you  find  us  both  suffering  from  a  domestic 
affliction,"  replied  Mrs.  Blennerhassett.  "  There  is, 
then,  a  partnership  in  misery  between  us." 

"  We  once  contemplated  a  more  pleasant  partner 
ship,"  remarked  Burr. 

"  Yes,  and  why  did  you  seek  it?  "  cried  Mrs.  Blen 
nerhassett.  "  Why  did  you  ever  enter  our  innocent, 
happy  home  ?  Why  did  not  the  flowers  wither  at  your 
approach?  Shall  I  tell  you  why  you  came  as  a  de 
stroyer  and  turned  our  Paradise  into  a  Hell?  Because 
your  mind  was  tortured  with  remorse  for  the  unfor 
tunate  duel  with  Hamilton — because  you  were  sickened 
by  disappointment  in  political  preferment — because  you 
were  disgusted  with  President  Jefferson's  just  and 
pacific  policy  with  all  nations.  It  was  for  these  reasons 
that  you  sought  to  bury  the  disquietudes  that  were 
tearing  your  soul,  by  plunging  into  deeds  of  such  won 
derful  magnitude."  Burr  regarded  the  speaker  with 
unmoved  features  but  said  nothing.  The  lady  con 
tinued  :  '*  You  knew  full  well  the  advantages  which 
wealth  and  influence  would  add  to  your  undertakings 
and  so  you  sought  first  to  secure  the  co-operation  of 
the  most  conspicuous  characters  at  that  time  living  in 
the  West.  My  husband  was  a  shining  treasure,  too 
valuable  to  remain  unnoticed.  His  wealth,  his  ac 
quirements,  his  influence,  all  convinced  you  that  he 


350  BLENNERHASSETT 

would  be  a  powerful  auxiliary  to  your  schemes.  Like 
the  serpent  in  Eden,  you  wound  yourself  into  the  open 
and  unpractised  heart  of  my  unfortunate  husband  and 
craftily,  by  degrees,  infused  into  it  the  poison  of  your 
own  ambition." 

"  Madam,  do  not  mistake  my  silence  for  self-con 
viction  or  remorse.  Naturally,  as  a  wife  should,  you 
have  a  good  opinion  of  your  husband.  Love,  and  not 
reason,  guides  your  judgment.  Your  husband  was 
never  a  bad  man — he  was  always  a  weak  one.  A  man 
of  some  knowledge  and  but  little  common  sense.  He 
required  no  persuasion  to  enter  into  my  Southwestern 
scheme.  Both  of  you  were  eager  to  embark  in  it  the 
moment  it  was  mentioned.  Did  I  profit  by  his  wealth  ? 
Have  I  not  lost  all,  as  well  as  you?  Do  you  doubt  if 
I  had  profited  by  your  aid  that  I  should  not  have  in 
good  faith,  like  a  man  of  honor,  made  such  money 
reparation  as  lay  in  my  power  ?  " 

Blennerhassett,  who  had  until  this  moment  remained 
silent  during  the  interview,  now  rose  to  his  feet  with 
much  difficulty  and  looked  fixedly  at  Burr. 

"  Do  you  ask  me  that  question,  Colonel  Burr  ?  If 
so,  I  will  answer  that  I  have  long  since  ceased  to  con 
sider  any  reference  to  your  honor,  resources,  or  good 
faith  in  any  other  light  than  as  a  scandal  to  any  man 
uttering  it — unless  he  has  sunk  as  low  as  yourself." 

"  Did  I  not  repay  some  of  the  money — all  that  I  could 
secure  ?  Did  you  not  write  such  insulting  letters  to  my 
son-in-law  that  my  daughter  became  convinced  it  was 
an  audacious  swindling  trick,  and  called  you  a  low-bred 
coward?  Who  is  this  Blennerhassett  that  holds  a 
daughter  accountable  for  her  father's  misfortunes  ?  " 

"  Who  is  Blennerhassett  ?  Look  at  me  and  answer 
your  own  question.  Who  was  Blennerhassett  ?  Mem 
ories  of  the  happy  past  will  aid  me  to  answer  that.  I 
was  a  native  of  Ireland,  a  man  of  letters,  to  whom  war 
was  distasteful— and  who  fled  from  the  storms  of  his 


A  FATHER'S  LOVE,  351 

own  country  to  find  quiet  in  this.  I  sought  the  soli 
tude  of  the  western  forests.  I  built  a  home,  yes,  a 
palace.  With  my  library,  my  philosophical  researches, 
the  delights  of  music,  a  beautiful  wife  and  loving  chil 
dren  I  was  happy.  In  you,  the  destroyer  came!  The 
dignity  of  your  demeanor,  your  seductive  conversation 
and  fascinating  address,  made  my  conquest  easy.  In 
a  short  time,  my  whole  nature  was  changed — every 
former  object  was  relinquished.  Visions  of  diadems, 
titles  of  nobility,  stories  of  great  heroes  and  conquests, 
took  the  place  of  the  innocent  faces  of  my  children  and 
the  smiles  of  my  wife.  The  end  came — the  visions 
disappeared;  my  house  was  burned,  my  wife,  driven 
from  its  shelter,  shivered  at  night  on  the  banks  of  the 
Ohio — my  island  became  a  wilderness  again.  Was 
ever  the  power  of  the  tempter  more  plainly  shown? 
Was  ever  ruin  more  complete?  Aaron  Burr,  shrink 
not  from  your  work!  forget  not  that  you  have  ruined 
me  in  fortune,  character,  and  happiness,  forever." 

Blennerhassett  was  overcome  by  the  exertion  he  had 
made  and  fell  back  exhausted  into  his  chair.  Burr  left 
the  room  without  another  word.  Ransome  was  in  the 
main  office. 

"  Your  master  needs  your  services."  Ransome  was 
soon  at  the  side  of  his  mistress,  aiding  her  in  her  minis 
trations  to  the  invalid.  Burr  rushed  to  meet  Alston 
and  Van  Ness  as  they  entered. 

"  Has  she  come?  " 

Alston  did  not  reply.  He  turned  to  Van  Ness: 
"  Speak,  Van  Ness,  I  cannot?  " 

Burr  grasped  Van  Ness  by  the  hand  and  looked  anx 
iously  into  his  face. 

"  Calm  yourself,  Burr,  there  may  yet  be  hope,  but 
they  fear  that  the  vessel  is  lost  with  all  on  board." 
Burr  looked  fixedly  at  Van  Ness.  "  Would  to  God, 
Burr,  that  I  could  offer  you  some  consolation." 

For  a  moment  Burr  did  not  speak.    His  active  mind, 


352  BLENNERHASSETT 

however,  was  at  work.  It  was  considering  other  cir 
cumstances  connected  with  the  situation.  While  he 
stood  thus,  apparently  irresolute,  Blennerhassett  en 
tered  the  room  supported  by  his  wife  and  Ransome. 
They  were  unknown  to  Van  Ness  but  were  recognized 
by  Alston.  Burr  found  speech  at  last. 

"  Consolation  for  me  ?  I  do  not  need  it.  I  always 
accept  the  inevitable  without  repining.  I  was  think 
ing  of  her.  What  a  fate,  poor  thing." 

"  Do  not  lose  all  hope,"  said  Alston,  "  I  have  not. 
There  is  a  possibility,  they  say,  that  the  vessel  may 
have  been  captured  by  pirates — and  Theodosia  may  be 
in  prison." 

"  No !  "  cried  Burr,  with  an  intensity  that  startled 
his  hearers:  "  an  idle  hope!  She  is  indeed  dead.  She 
perished  in  a  storm  in  that  miserable  little  boat.  Were 
she  alive,  all  the  prisons  in  the  world  could  not  keep  her 
from  her  father."  He  turned  towards  the  portrait  of  his 
daughter  and,  as  he  did  so,  evidences  were  plainly  ap 
parent  of  the  mental  suffering  he  was  undergoing  de 
spite  his  previous  assertion  that  he  would  not  repine. 
"  From  this  day  forth  the  world  is  a  blank  to  me  and 
life  has  lost  its  value."  He  dropped  upon  his  knees 
before  the  picture.  "  By  this  blow,  I  am  severed  from 
the  human  race !  " 

Mrs.  Blennerhassett  turned  to  her  husband  and  said : 
"  A  terrible  retribution." 

He  replied,  in  a  low  voice:  "From  the  hand  of 
Heaven!  Let  us  go,  Margaret." 


"BY    THIS    BLOW,    I    AM    SEVERED    FROM   THE    HUMAN    RACE!" 


CHAPTER  XXX 

AN  OLD  SLAVE'S  DEVOTION 

lt^\  ~W  TE  had  better  take  him  at  once  to  his  lodg- 
^7%/  ings,"  Van  Ness  whispered  in  Alston's 
ear.  Suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  he 
descended  swiftly  to  the  street.,  Fortunately,  a  convey 
ance  was  near  at  hand,  and,  in  a  few  moments,  Burr 
and  Alston  were  seated  therein.  Van  Ness  asked  Burr 
for  the  key  and  was  returning  to  lock  the  office  door 
when  he  met  Mr.  Blennerhassett,  assisted  by  his  wife 
and  Ransome  descending  the  stairs.  He  made  way  for 
them,  supposing  the  invalid  gentleman  to  be  some  old 
soldier  of  the  Revolution  who  had  applied  to  Burr  for 
assistance.  He  looked  about  the  offices  to  see  if  they 
were  in  proper  condition  to  be  left  for  the  night.  On 
Burr's  desk  he  saw  the  packet  he  had  given  him  but 
which  remained  where  he  had  placed  it.  He  put  it  in 
his  pocket,  locked  the  door,  joined  his  companions, 
and  the  carriage  drove  off. 

A  short  time  after  its  departure,  Graham  returned 
and  rapped  at  the  office  door.  There  was  no  response. 
Then  he  pounded  vigorously;  there  was  no  reply. 
"  Just  as  I  expected,"  he  muttered,  as  he  descended 
the  stairs.  "  Burr  never  meant  to  pay  me.  He  prom 
ised  it  simply  to  get  rid  of  me.  But  I  will  go  down  to 
his  house  at  once  and  arrest  him.  I  won't  stand  any 
fooling." 

A  lady  who  had  been  standing  at  the  foot  of  the 
stairs,  waiting  for  him  to  descend,  had  overheard  his 
words.  As  Graham  reached  the  landing  she  inquired 
politely : 

353 


354  BLENNERHASSETT 

"  May  I  ask  whom  it  is  your  intention  to  arrest  ?  " 

"  There's  no  secret  about  it,"  replied  Graham,  gruffly. 
"  I  have  a  writ  against  Colonel  Burr  for  forty-one  dol 
lars.  I  was  here  a  couple  of  hours  ago  and  he  promised 
that  I  should  have  the  money  by  this  time,  but  the 
door  is  locked.  I  suppose  he  is  gone  home,  so  I  am 
going  to  his  house  to  arrest  him." 

"  Have  you  heard  of  the  two  great  misfortunes  that 
have  befallen  him,  probably  since  you  last  saw  him? 
I  have  just  heard  of  them  myself." 

"  I  have  nothing  to  do  with  his  misfortunes,"  re 
plied  Graham.  "  It  is  my  duty,  as  an  officer  of  the  law, 
to  get  this  money  or  get  his  body.  Of  course,  it  don't 
make  much  difference  to  me,  personally,  which  I  get." 

"  But,"  persisted  the  lady,  "  won't  you  postpone  your 
visit  to  him  until  to-morrow,  at  least  ?  " 

Graham  made  a  gesture  of  dissent. 

"  Not  when  I  tell  you,"  continued  the  lady,  "  that  he 
has  just  received  news  of  the  death  of  his  little  grand 
son,  and  that  it  is  feared  that  the  vessel  upon  which  his 
daughter  sailed  for  New  York  has  either  been  lost  in  a 
storm  or  captured  by  pirates  ?  " 

"  That  don't  make  any  difference  to  me,"  Graham 
responded.  "  It  isn't  my  fault  that  all  his  troubles  came 
in  one  day." 

"How  much  did  you  say  the  bill  was?"  the  lady 
inquired. 

"  Forty-one  dollars  and  thirty-eight  cents,  including 
the  costs  of  court." 

"  I  will  go  with  you  and  settle  the  claim,"  the  lady 
remarked. 

An  hour  later,  Miss  Emily  Kent  stood  in  her  boudoir. 
She  held  a  receipted  bill  in  her  hand.  "  I  shall  never 
miss  the  money,"  she  exclaimed.  "  We  were  always 
such  good  friends  and  I  enjoyed  his  company  so  much. 
He  is  the  finest  gentleman  I  ever  knew.  It  would  have 
been  too  cruel  to  have  had  him  taken  to  jail.  But  he 


AN  OLD  SLAVE'S  DEVOTION  355 

shall  never  know  who  paid  the  bill.  I  would  not  give 
them  my  name." 

Mr.  Blennerhassett,  assisted  by  his  wife  and  Ran- 
some,  returned  slowly  to  the  humble  lodgings  which 
had  been  engaged  for  their  short  stay  in  New  York. 
Ransome  was  overjoyed  at  the  opportunity  thus  af 
forded  him  to  be  of  service  to  his  old  master. 

"  Massa  Burr  won't  need  me  now,"  he  said.  "  I 
will  stay  with  you  and  Missus  and  wait  on  you  both 
jess  as  I  used  to  do." 

"  I  am  afraid  we  cannot  afford  the  luxury  of  a  serv 
ant,"  said  Mrs.  Blennerhassett.  "  We  have  barely 
enough  to  support  ourselves  in  the  most  economical 
manner.  I  will  tell  you  the  whole  truth,  Ransome. 
The  fact  is,  I  have  a  little  money  put  by.  It  is  in  bank- 
stock  but  the  income  is  very  small.  I  am  going  to 
Canada  with  my  children  because  I  can  live  there  com 
fortably  for  much  less  money  than  I  can  here.  My 
husband  wishes  very  much  to  go  to  Ireland.  There  is 
a  large  sum  due  him  there,  but  he  must  go  to  law  in 
order  to  obtain  it.  Unfortunately,  I  cannot  spare  him 
any  money  to  pay  his  passage.  If  I  sell  part  of  my  bank- 
stock,  the  remainder  will  not  give  me  enough  income 
to  support  myself  and  children.  I  am  at  my  wits'  end, 
Ransome.  We  had  expected  to  get  some  money  from 
Colonel  Burr  but  we  see  that  that  prospect  is  hopeless." 

Ransome  scratched  his  old  white  head  vigorously. 
An  idea  seemed  to  have  occurred  to  him  but  he,  appar 
ently,  was  not  disposed  to  confide  what  was  in  his  mind 
to  either  his  master  or  mistress. 

"  I  will  come  and  see  you  to-morrow  morning,"  he 
said,  as  he  took  his  departure. 

Despite  Burr's  protestation  that  he  always  accepted 
the  inevitable  with  calmness,  the  fact  was  that  he  was 
nearly  prostrated  by  the  double  blow  that  he  had  re 
ceived.  He  had  been  placed  upon  a  couch  in  his  sitting- 
room.  His  son-in-law  and  his  tried  and  trusty  friend, 


356  BLENNERHASSETT 

Van  Ness,  remained  with  him  until  the  next  morning. 
Shortly  after  midnight,  his  grief  apparently  subsided 
and  he  fell  into  a  troubled  sleep.  The  watchers  sat 
anxiously  by  the  couch  upon  which  he  reposed.  When 
he  awoke  he  saw  the  two  friends  and,  with  his  old 
politeness,  thanked  them  for  their  kind  attention.  He 
arose  from  the  couch  and  shook  hands  with  both  of 
them.  Then  he  said,  as  a  sad  smile  lighted  up  his  fea 
tures  : 

"  I  have  had  a  dream.  My  poor  Theodosia  is  at 
rest."  The  faces  of  his  hearers  betrayed  their  curiosity. 
"  She  is  dead!  She  was  buried  at  sea.  In  my  dream, 
I  saw  them  place  her  in  her  canvas  shroud.  My  poor 
Theodosia !  She  was  more  beautiful  than  ever.  Then 
the  canvas  was  drawn  over  her  face  and  one  of  the 
men  sewed  it  down  securely.  Then  I  saw  them  take 
her  body,  tenderly,  and  it  was  lowered  slowly  and  care 
fully  until  it  reached  the  water.  Then  I  saw  the  waves 
of  the  ocean  close  over  all  that  remained  of  my  lost  dar 
ling.  But  she  is  at  rest,  and  I  will  repine  no  more." 

The  next  morning,  an  entirely  unexpected  occur 
rence  took  place  at  the  Blennerhassett  lodgings.  At 
ten  o'clock  Ransome  re-appeared  but  this  time  he  was 
not  alone.  He  was  accompanied  by  a  rather  hard- 
featured  looking  man,  evidently  a  trader  of  some  sort. 

"  This  is  Mr.  Van  Wagoner,"  said  Ransome,  by  way 
of  introduction ;  "  Massa  and  Missus  Blennerhassett," 
he  added,  to  complete  it. 

Mr.  Van  Wagoner  addressed  himself  to  Mr.  Blen 
nerhassett  :  "  Is  this  your  man  ?  "  pointing  to  Ransome. 

"  My  man  ?  What  do  you  mean  ?  I  don't  under 
stand  you,"  replied  Blennerhassett. 

"  He  says  he  is  your  slave,"  said  Van  Wagoner. 
"Does  he  tell  the  truth?" 

"  He  was  my  servant.  My  servants  were  really 
slaves,  of  course,  but  I  never  called  them  so  nor  treated 
them  as  such." 


AN  OLD  SLAVE'S  DEVOTION  357 

"  Please  come  to  the  point,  Mr.  Blennerhassett,"  said 
Van  Wagoner,  rather  impatiently.  "  He  is  either  your 
slave  or  he  isn't.  Did  you  buy  him  ?  " 

"  I  did,"  assented  Blennerhassett.  "  I  bought  him  in 
New  York  before  I  went  West." 

"  Did  you  ever  give  him  his  freedom,  legally,  I 
mean  ?  "  inquired  Van  Wagoner. 

"  It  amounts  to  the  same  thing,"  replied  Blenner 
hassett.  "  I  never  intended  to  make  any  further  claim 
upon  his  services." 

"  No  it  don't,  Massa,"  cried  Ransome.  "  You  can't 
give  a  nigger  his  freedom  any  such  way  as  that;  Mr. 
Van  Wagoner  tole  me  so." 

"  Well,"  said  Van  Wagoner,  "  I  imagine  I  have  got 
the  truth  of  the  matter  at  last.  This  man  Ransome  is 
your  property  and  you  have  a  right  to  sell  him  to 
anyone  who  wishes  to  buy  him." 

"  But  I  won't  sell  him !  "  exclaimed  Blennerhassett. 
"  I  know,  to  my  disgrace,  that  I  have  purchased  flesh 
and  blood;  but  I  never  sold  any,  and  I  never  will." 

"  Yes  you  will,  Massa."  said  Ransome.  "  You'll 
do  it  jess  to  oblige  me.  They  are  goin'  to  have  a  war, 
and  the  fust  thing  I  know  they'll  have  me  aboard  one 
of  the  ships,  and  they'll  make  me  fight,  and  I  don't 
want  to.  Mr.  Van  Wagoner  has  found  me  a  good, 
kind  master  who  owns  a  big  cotton  plantation  down  in 
ole  Alabama,  and  I  want  to  go  with  him  very  much. 
Now  Massa  Blennerhassett,  don't  make  me  go  to  war 
when  I  want  to  go  back  to  the  ole  plantation  and  die 
there  when  my  time  comes,  which  may  be  'fore  long." 

Mrs.  Blennerhassett  understood  the  devotion  of  the 
old  negro  which  had  led  him  to  take  such  a  step.  She 
saw  that  it  was  best  for  Ransome  to  do  as  he  pro 
posed.  Those  were  not  the  days  when  negroes,  even  if 
they  were  free,  had  much  chance  to  earn  their  living 
in  the  northern  states,  so  she  took  the  matter  at  once 
from  her  husband's  hands. 


358  BLENNERHASSETT 

"  What  is  your  proposition  ?  "  she  asked,  addressing 
Van  Wagoner. 

"  As  your  man  has  told  you,  I  have  found  him  a 
good  master.  The  man  is  willing  to  buy  him  from  me, 
and  I  am  willing  to  buy  him  from  you.  To  please  Ran- 
some,  I  have  got  the  bill  of  sale,  all  made  out,  with  me. 
He  said  you  were  in  a  hurry  to  leave  New  York. 
Of  course,  the  man  is  pretty  old,  but  I  think  there's 
some  years'  work  left  in  him  yet."  Ransome  drew  him 
self  up  and  tried  to  look  as  young  as  possible.  "  I  am 
willing,"  continued  Van  Wagoner,  "  to  give  you  two 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars  cash  for  him." 

"  You  must  do  it,  Massa !  "  cried  Ransome.  "  Missus 
said  you  wanted  two  hundred  dollars  to  go  back  to 
Ireland,  and  I  jess  thought  out,  all  by  myself,  the  way 
it  could  be  done.  Please  do  it,  Massa  Blennerhassett, 
for  it  will  be  best  for  all  of  us." 

The  trade  was  consummated ;  and  thus  did  the  gener 
ous-hearted  old  retainer  repay  the  kind  act  of  the  mas 
ter  who  had  allowed  him  to  see  his  old  mother  once 
more  and  to  hold  her  in  his  arms  when  she  died. 


CHAPTER  XXXI 

FROM   ICY  BLASTS  TO  SUMMER  SKIES 

THE  good  ship  "  Patriot  "  sailed  out  of  the  har 
bor  of  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  one  morn 
ing  late  in  the  month  of  December,  1812.  It 
was  what  was  called  in  those  days  a  packet-ship  and  car 
ried  the  mail,  freight,  and  passengers.  The  freight  con 
sisted  of  barrels  of  rice  and  bales  of  cotton  and  tobacco. 
The  captain  had  in  his  cabin,  besides,  a  number  of  let 
ters  containing  money  to  pay  for  supplies  to  be  ordered 
from  the  city  of  New  York,  to  which  port  the  vessel  was 
bound.  The  captain  and  crew  numbered  fifteen,  the 
passengers  being  twelve. 

The  passengers,  with  three  exceptions,  were  planters 
bound  North  to  buy  supplies  for  the  use  of  their  fami 
lies  and  slaves  during  the  coming  winter.  The  three 
exceptions  were  Mrs.  Joseph  Alston,  Peggy,  a  colored 
woman  who  had  been  her  nurse  and  also  that  of  her 
only  son,  and  Sam,  a  young  colored  boy  of  about 
twenty-one  years  of  age. 

The  accommodations  for  passengers  were  not  very 
good  and,  naturally,  the  captain's  cabin  had  been  set 
apart  for  the  use  of  Mrs.  Alston  who  was  well  known  to 
those  on  board  although  she  was  not  personally  ac 
quainted  with  any  of  them.  The  captain  knew  that 
Mrs.  Alston  was  the  wife  of  a  former  governor  of  South 
Carolina  and,  of  course,  had  communicated  this  in 
formation  to  the  passengers. 

The  sky  was  cloudy;  a  strong  breeze  was  blowing 
from  the  East  as  the  vessel  left  port,  but  there  were  no 

359 


360  BLENNERHASSETT 

indications  of  a  storm  and  Captain  Pointdexter  antici 
pated  a  speedy  run  to  the  port  of  destination.  During 
the  day,  however,  the  clouds  became  thicker  and 
blacker  and  about  six  o'clock  the  wind  shifted  to  the 
Northeast  and  began  to  blow  strongly,  giving  every 
indication  of  an  approaching  gale. 

Mrs.  Alston  remained  on  deck,  for  the  captain's  cabin 
seemed  close  and  she  was  not  in  the  best  of  health. 
The  loss  of  her  little  son  had  weighed  upon  her  both 
mentally  and  physically  and  there  was  satisfaction  in 
watching  the  on-coming  of  the  storm  and  the  rise  and 
fall  of  the  great  waves  through  which  the  vessel  was 
plunging.  By  a  sudden  lurch,  Theodosia  was  thrown 
violently  against  the  main-hatch  and  would  have  fallen 
if  the  faithful  Sam  had  not  prevented.  The  captain 
then  approached  and  advised  her  to  go  below.  On 
reaching  her  cabin,  she  found  that  she  had  sustained 
quite  a  severe  injury  to  her  left  hand  for  it  was  badly 
bruised.  It  began  to  swell  very  soon  "and  her  marriage 
ring  was  deeply  embedded  in  the  flesh  and  caused  her 
much  pain.  She  sent  Sam  to  inquire  if  there  was  a 
doctor  on  board;  he  came  back  with  the  information 
that  no  physician  was  taken  on  such  short  trips.  She 
was  a  young  woman  of  great  resource,  and  told  Sam  to 
find  the  ship's  carpenter.  He  soon  came,  and  by  the 
aid  of  a  file  the  golden  circlet  which  was  the  emblem 
of  her  union  with  her  husband  was  soon  removed.  As 
the  carpenter  placed  it  in  her  left  hand,  in  two  pieces, 
a  shudder  of  apprehension  ran  through  her,  although 
she  was  not  superstitious.  It  seemed  then  as  if  the 
bond  between  her  and  the  husband  whom  she  loved 
was  broken  forever. 

During  the  night,  the  storm  increased  in  violence  and 
developed  into  a  fierce  northeaster.  The  little  packet 
labored  and  plunged  through  the  waves  and  into  the 
deep  troughs  made  by  them.  Yet,  she  held  her  own 
manfully,  and  when  morning  dawned  she  was  opposite 


FROM  ICY  BLASTS  361 

the  coast  of  North  Carolina,  and  rapidly  approaching 
that  most  treacherous  part  of  the  southern  coast,  Cape 
Hatteras.  Despite  the  entreaties  of  Peggy,  her  faithful 
nurse,  Theodosia  insisted  upon  going  on  deck.  There, 
a  scene  of  unsurpassed  grandeur  met  her  eyes.  The 
skies  were  black  and  the  distance  to  them  seemed  not 
half  so  far  as  to  the  blue  skies  when  on  land.  Giant 
waves  struck  the  ship  and  like  white,  foaming  moun 
tains,  broke  over  it.  The  weather  had  grown  exceed 
ingly  cold,  and  spars  and  rigging  and  every  article  of 
woodwork  about  the  ship  were  encased  in  ice. 

Captain  Pointdexter  was  a  brave  man — up  to  a  cer 
tain  point.  Then  his  heart  failed  him  and  he  lost  that 
control  of  his  feelings  that  marks  the  man  of  nerve.  But 
he  did  what  a  less  prudent  man  might  not  have  done, 
and  by  it  he  secured  the  safety,  for  a  time,  of  his  vessel 
and  the  human  beings  that  she  carried.  Making  a  wide 
detour  towards  the  East,  he  altered  the  course  of  his 
ship  and,  instead  of  attempting  the  almost  hopeless 
task  of  beating  forward  in  the  face  of  the  wind,  he  was 
soon  running  South  before  it. 

Then  a  miraculous  change  took  place.  The  weather 
which  had  been  so  cold,  grew  much  warmer,  the  ice 
melted  quickly,  and  little  streamlets  of  water  came  down 
from  all  parts  of  the  spars  and  rigging.  The  vessel 
had  struck  the  Gulf  Stream  and,  although  the  little 
packet  was  driven  forward  by  the  strong  northeaster, 
serious  danger  seemed,  for  the  time,  to  be  averted. 

Then  the  over-worked  crew  and  the  frightened  pas 
sengers  took  the  offered  opportunity  for  rest.  Theo 
dosia  retired  to  her  cabin  where  her  slumbers  were 
watched  over  by  the  faithful  Peggy,  while  Sam,  out 
side  the  cabin  door,  slept  with  one  eye  open  so  that  he 
might  be  on  hand  if  his  beloved  mistress  should  need 
his  services. 

When  Theodosia  awoke  in  the  morning,  Peggy 
greeted  her  with  loud  exclamations  of  delight.  The 


362  BLENNERHASSETT 

storm  was  gone  and  the  sun  shone.  Theodosia  soon 
arose  and  then  saw  that  what  Peggy  had  told  her  was 
true.  The  sun  was  shining  brightly  and,  although  the 
little  packet  gave  strong  evidence  of  the  severe  trial 
through  which  she  had  just  passed,  the  captain  had  a 
smiling  face  and  said  they  would  soon  alter  their  course 
and  endeavor  once  more  to  reach  their  destination;  but 
this  could  not  be  done  until  noon,  for  he  wished  to 
learn  his  position  exactly,  by  an  observation,  before 
changing  his  course. 

A  man  was  on  the  lookout,  for  the  captain  thought 
they  might  have  been  driven  so  far  South  that  they 
might  soon  sight  land,  and  the  first  land  that  he  would 
see  would  be  the  island  of  Cuba.  The  vessel  was 
brought  about,  its  bow  pointed  towards  the  North, 
and  all  hearts  were  joyful  that  they  had  escaped  from 
death  at  sea  and  were  likely  to  complete  their  journey 
in  safety. 

Suddenly  there  came  the  cry  "Sail  Ahoy!"  and 
every  eye  was  strained  in  the  direction  indicated  by  the 
lookout. 

"  What  flag  does  she  fly?  "  cried  the  captain. 

'  There  is  no  flag,"  answered  the  man. 

'  That  looks  suspicious,"  remarked  the  captain  to 
Theodosia  who  stood  beside  him  watching  the  on-com 
ing  of  the  stranger.  At  that  moment,  there  was  a 
flash,  a  dull  report,  and  smoke  was  seen  rising  above 
the  deck  of  the  stranger. 

"  We  are  in  for  it,"  said  the  captain.  "  It  is  prob 
ably  a  British  vessel  and  we  are  likely  to  be  captured; 
but  that  is  better  than  falling  into  the  hands  of  the 
pirates." 

"  Are  there  pirates  in  these  waters  ?  "  asked  Theo 
dosia. 

"Why,  my  good  lady,"*  replied  the  captain,  "the 
sea  is  full  of  them.  They  are  as  common  as  thieves  in 
a  big  city.  But  they  are  not  such  bad  fellows,  after 


FROM  ICY  BLASTS  363 

all,  with  one  exception.  There  is  one  bloodthirsty 
devil  whom  I  have  heard  about  who  makes  every  one 
he  captures  walk  the  plank;  then  he  scuttles  the  ship 
and  no  one  is  left  to  tell  the  tale  or  bear  evidence  against 
him." 

"  She's  a  pirate !  "  yelled  the  man  from  the  top, 
"  she's  hoisted  the  black  flag." 

"  Is  it  all  black?  "  cried  the  captain. 

"  I  can't  make  out,  yet,"  said  the  man. 

"  What  difference  does  that  make  ?  "  asked  Theodosia. 

"  This  devil  of  whom  I  spoke,"  remarked  the  captain, 
"  is  a  Captain  Thaddeus.  I  don't  know  his  last  name. 
On  his  black  flag  there  is  a  blood-red  T.  He  is  not 
afraid  to  let  everyone  know  he  is  coming." 

"  I  can  see  the  flag,  now,"  cried  the  lookout,  "  and 
there  is  a  big  red  T  on  it !  " 

"  Then  the  Lord  help  us,"  groaned  the  captain. 
"  The  '  Patriot '  isn't  a  fast  sailor  and.  I  don't  think 
there's  much  chance  of  getting  away  from  them.  We 
may  as  well  surrender  now  and  meet  our  fate  as  to 
make  any  resistance." 

"  If  we  are  to  die,"  said  Theodosia,  "  it  will  make 
death  a  little  sweeter  if  we  use  every  possible  expedient 
to  save  our  lives.  Our  fate  can  surely  be  no  worse. 
They  are  still  some  distance  off.  Why  not  turn  the 
vessel  about  once  more  and  at  least  make  an  effort  to 
escape?  " 

This  remark  was  greeted  with  signs  of  approval  by 
the  passengers  who  had  gathered  about  and  had  lis 
tened  to  the  conversation  between  Theodosia  and  the 
captain. 

"  Well,"  said  the  captain,  who  had  passed  beyond  the 
point  of  bravery  and  who  now  if  not  a  cringing  coward 
was  the  next  thing  to  it,  "  we  will  do  the  best  we  can, 
but  it  will  not  help  us." 

He  gave  the  necessary  orders.  The  "  Patriot  "  was 
soon  turned  about  and  once  more  headed  towards  the 


364  BLENNERHASSETT 

South.  All  sail  was  hoisted  and  for  a  while  it  seemed 
as  if  there  were  a  chance  for  escape.  But  no !  The 
pirate  craft,  painted  black  and  flying  its  black  flag 
with  the  blood-red  T  thereon,  was  rapidly  gaining  on 
them.  Soon  a  cannon  ball  came  through  the  air.  It 
was  well  aimed  and  struck  one  of  the  masts  of  the 
vessel  and,  in  its  course,  killed  two  of  the  ship's 
crew. 

"  It's  of  no  use,"  cried  the  captain,  "  we  may  as 
well  come  to,  haul  down  our  flag,  and  surrender." 

"  Don't  haul  down  the  flag!  "  cried  Theodosia,  "  if 
we  are  to  die,  let  it  be  with  the  flag  still  flying  over  us. 
If  they  wish  to  take  it  down  let  them  go  aloft  and  do 
it." 

This  patriotic  remark  was  greeted  with  cheers  by  the 
members  of  the  crew  and  passengers.  They  seemed 
to  recognize  in  Theodosia  a  woman  of  nerve,  spirit, 
and  intelligence.  One  passenger  remarked  to  another : 
"  I  wish  to  Heaven  she  was  the  captain  of  the  ship." 

The  captain's  orders  were  obeyed  so  far  as  coming 
to  was  concerned  and,  in  a  short  time,  the  "  Patriot " 
was  drifting  idly.  The  pirate  ship  also  stopped  in  its 
course.  What  did  it  mean  ?  They  were  soon  to  learn. 
Four  boats,  each  filled  with  men,  set  off  from  the  pirate, 
and  were  rowed  rapidly  towards  the  "  Patriot." 

'  The  cutthroats  are  coming,"  cried  the  captain, 
"  and  they  will  give  us  no  quarter.  Say  your  prayers, 
for  they  will  not  give  you  time  when  they  are  once 
on  board." 

"  But,"  cried  Theodosia,  "  are  we  to  make  no  resist 
ance?  Are  we  to  stand  here  and  allow  ourselves  to  be 
taken  or  killed  without  one  word  of  remonstrance  ?  Are 
we  to  make  no  effort  whatever  to  save  our  lives  ?  " 

"  It  will  do  no  good,"  answered  the  captain. 
"  What  can  we  do  against  sixty  bloodthirsty  pirates ; 
each  one  of  those  boats  has  fifteen  men  in  it." 

"  But  you  have  a  cannon  mounted  there !  "  exclaimed 


FROM  ICY  BLASTS  365 

Theodosia,  and  she  pointed  to  the  stern  of  the  boat. 
"  Have  you  any  ammunition  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  answered  the  captain,  "  the  carpenter  knows 
where  it  is.  But  what's  the  use?  Everyone  of  us  is 
sure  to  meet  death  at  their  hands." 

*'  But,"  said  Theodosia,  "  we  can  die  but  once,  and 
they  can  do  no  more  than  kill  us  if  we  kill  some  of 
them." 

Then  she  cried :  "  Gentlemen,  arm  yourselves  with 
whatever  weapons  you  can  find.  Where  is  the  car 
penter?  "  He  stepped  forward.  "  We  will  do  what  we 
can,"  she  said,  "  to  defend  ourselves." 

The  small  cannon  was  soon  loaded  and  primed. 
"Does  anyone  know  how  to  fire  it?"  asked  Theo 
dosia. 

"  No,"  said  the  captain,  "  we  never  fire  it  except  on 
Fourth  of  July  and  then  I  always  hire  an  extra  man 
to  take  charge  of  it." 

"  Then  I  will  fire  it !  "  cried  Theodosia.  With  the 
assistance  of  the  carpenter  and  one  of  the  passengers, 
the  gun  was  sighted,  Theodosia  touched  it  off  and, 
as  luck  would  have  it,  the  aim  was  good.  The  ball 
struck  the  forward  boat,  tearing  through  it  in  such  a 
way  that  it  soon  filled  with  water  and  the  pirates  were 
obliged  to  jump  from  it  helter-skelter.  They  were  soon 
picked  up  by  the  other  boats  which  kept  on  their  way 
towards  the  ship. 

"  I  told  you  it  would  do  no  good,"  said  the  weak- 
kneed  captain. 

"  It  has  surely  done  no  harm,"  answered  Theodosia, 
"  if  we  are  to  die  anyway.  It  is  the  first  time  I  ever 
fired  a  cannon  and  I  feel  quite  proud  of  my  marksman 
ship." 

Soon  one  of  the  boats  reached  the  side  of  the  "  Pat 
riot  "  and  its  occupants,  armed  with  cutlasses  and  pis 
tols,  came  clambering  over  the  bulwarks.  Then  a  hand- 
to-hand  fight  ensued.  Of  course,  the  issue  can  easily  be 


366  BLENNERHASSETT 

divined.  The  passengers  and  crew  were  poorly  armed 
and  no  match  for  the  broad  cutlass  and  the  pair  of 
pistols  carried  by  each  of  their  enemies. 

As  the  pirates  reached  the  deck,  Theodosia  grasped 
a  cutlass.  Suddenly,  in  front  of  her,  the  head  of  a  man 
appeared,  his  hands  grasping  the  bulwark.  Raising 
the  sword  aloft,  she  brought  it  down  on  one  hand, 
severing  it  from  his  body.  With  a  yell  of  rage,  he 
let  go  his  hold  with  the  other  hand  and  fell  back  into 
the  water. 

At  that  moment,  a  strong  arm  was  thrown  about 
Theodosia's  slight  form,  and  she  felt  as  if  she  would 
be  crushed  in  that  giant  grasp.  The  cutlass  was  wrested 
from  her  hand  and  thrown  upon  the  deck.  Then  a 
strange  scene  occurred.  Peggy  and  Sam  had  held 
aloof  from  the  fight,  but,  on  seeing  their  mistress  at 
tacked,  they  rushed  forward.  Sam  grasped  the  pirate 
about  the  neck  with  both  hands,  choking  him  with  all 
the  strength  that  he  possessed.  Peggy  was  like  a  savage 
animal.  She  set  her  teeth  into  the  man's  arm,  which 
was  bare  to  the  elbow,  time  and  time  again,  causing 
him  to  yell  with  pain.  Some  of  his  comrades,  seeing 
their  leader  in  such  a  predicament,  came  to  his  assist 
ance.  It  was  the  work  of  but  a  moment,  and  when 
Theodosia  turned  and  gazed  into  the  brutal  faces  of 
her  assailants  her  eyes  fell  upon  the  prostrate  bodies  of 
the  faithful  servants  who  lay  weltering  in  their  blood. 

The  pirate  thus  rescued,  picked  up  the  cutlass  that 
he  had  torn  from  Theodosia's  grasp.  She  faced  him 
proudly,  although,  the  next  moment,  she  expected  to 
meet  her  death  at  his  hand.  But  no;  he  was  evidently 
the  leader  of  the  party  and,  at  his  command,  the  work 
of  slaughter  ceased.  While  one  boat  had  come  up  on 
the  side  where  Theodosia  had  taken  her  stand,  the  other 
two  boats  had  gone  to  the  other  side  of  the  ship  and 
thus  the  passengers  had  found  themselves  between  two 
fires.  Of  the  twenty-four  men,  including  passengers 


"AS   THE    PIRATES    REACHED  THE    DECK,   THEODOSIA   GRASPED   A 
CUTLASS.  " 


FROM  ICY  BLASTS  367 

and  crew,  but  nine  were  living;  four  passengers  and 
five  of  the  crew.  Theodosia  was  the  tenth  survivor. 

By  command  of  the  pirate  leader,  friend  and  foe, 
crew  and  passengers  and  pirates  who  had  fallen  in  the 
fray,  were  unceremoniously  thrown  over  the  ship's  side 
into  the  water,  after  their  money,  valuables,  and  the 
best  of  their  clothing  had  been  appropriated  by  the 
pirates. 

Then  the  survivors  of  the  "  Patriot  "  were  bound, 
their  hands  being  tied  behind  them  with  strong  cords. 
The  leader  of  the  party  came  towards  Theodosia  with 
a  savage  leer  upon  his  face.  He  grasped  her  rudely  by 
her  hands,  pulled  them  behind  her  back,  and  tied  them 
so  tightly  that  the  cords  cut  into  her  tender  flesh. 
Then  he  looked  into  her  face  with  a  sardonic  smile, 
but  she  faced  him  bravely. 

The  prisoners  were  taken  into  one  of  the  boats  and 
were  rowed  to  the  pirate  ship.  The  victors  left  on  the 
"  Patriot "  ransacked  the  vessel  fore  and  aft.  The 
captain's  cabin  was  gone  through  and  all  the  letters  and 
everything  of  value  that  it  contained  taken.  The  cargo 
was  of  no  particular  use  to  the  captors.  They  could 
not  go  into  port  and  dispose  of  rice  and  cotton  and 
tobacco,  so  Jules  Drebat,  the  leader  of  the  attacking 
party,  gave  orders  to  scuttle  the  ship.  This  was  soon 
done  and,  while  the  boats  were  returning  to  the  pirate 
ship,  the  unfortunate  craft  filled  with  water  and  finally 
plunged  beneath  the  waves  to  join  the  innumerable 
caravan  of  ships  that  had  preceded  it. 


CHAPTER  XXXII 

CAPTAIN   THADDEUS 

THE  ten  prisoners  from  the  "  Patriot,"  one  by 
one,  reached  the  deck  of  the  pirate  ship,  Theo- 
dosia  being  the  last.     They  filed  before  the 
captain,  who  stood  upon  the  quarter-deck,  with  white 
faces  and  downcast  heads,  all  but  one;  Theodosia  did 
not  droop.     She  was  the  last  of  the  line  and,  as  it 
stopped,  she  was  brought  into  close  proximity  to  the 
pirate  chief;  turning,  she  looked  him  full  in  the  face, 
and  a  remarkable  face  it  was. 

He  was  a  tall  man,  fully  six  feet  in  height  and  built 
in  proportion ;  a  mass  of  curly  hair  of  a  reddish-brown 
color  covered  his  head;  upon  his  upper  lip,  a  flowing 
moustache  of  the  same  hue,  while  his  full  beard  was 
trimmed  to  a  point,  giving  him  the  appearance  of  a 
cavalier  of  the  olden  time.  His  face  was  pallid;  his 
eyes  were  black,  with  a  fire  in  them  that  seemed  to 
scintillate;  and,  as  Theodosia  looked  at  them,  they 
brought  back  memories  of  another  pair  of  eyes  as 
penetrating  and  bright  but  which  had  never  looked 
upon  her  except  with  the  love  light  in  them. 

Captain  Thaddeus  spoke,  addressing  himself  to  the 
passenger  who  stood  at  the  end  of  the  line,  farthest 
from  him. 

"  What  is  your  name?  "  he  asked.  He  spoke  in  Eng 
lish.  "  I  speak  English,"  he  continued,  "  because  I 
suppose  you  have  been  so  busy  making  money  by  cheat 
ing  your  neighbors  that  you  never  had  time  to  learn 
French." 

368 


CAPTAIN  THADDEUS         369 

"  James  Gregory,"  answered  the  man. 

"  Who  are  you  ?  "  continued  the  captain.  "  Tell  me 
all  about  yourself." 

"  I  am  a  planter,"  answered  Gregory.  "  I  live  in  the 
interior  of  South  Carolina  and  I  was  going  North  to 
buy  supplies  for  my  plantation." 

"  Do  you  own  slaves?  "  asked  the  captain. 

"  Yes,"  answered  Gregory.     "  I  own  a  hundred." 

"  Well,  you  would  willingly  change  places  with  one 
of  your  slaves  just  now,  wouldn't  you?"  laughed  the 
captain.  "  Drebat,  I  commit  this  South  Carolina 
planter  to  your  tender  mercies." 

Theodosia  stood  transfixed;  she  could  utter  no  word; 
she  could  only  look  and  take  in  the  horrible  scene 
that  followed.  Drebat  and  two  of  the  pirate  crew 
grasped  the  unfortunate  planter;  his  money  and  valu 
ables  were  taken  from  him  and  then  he  was  relieved 
of  some  of  the  best  of  his  clothing.  A  handkerchief, 
taken  from  one  of  his  pockets,  was  tightly  tied  about 
his  eyes;  two  pirates  seized  him,  each  taking  a  hand, 
and  walked  him  rapidly  away  from  his  fellows  to  the 
side  of  the  ship.  Theodosia  could  not  resist  looking 
in  the  direction  they  had  taken.  What  was  that  pro 
jecting  from  the  side  of  the  ship?  It  was  a  wide  plank. 
When  this  was  reached,  the  unfortunate  man  was  lifted 
upon  it,  bodily,  by  the  pirates  and  told,  with  a  laugh, 
to  walk  right  ahead;  when  he  naturally  held  back,  they 
struck  him  with  their  swords.  As  he  reached  the  end 
of  the  plank  and  felt  himself  falling,  he  uttered  a  loud 
cry. 

For  an  instant,  Theodosia  felt  as  though  she  could 
endure  it  no  longer,  but  she  remembered  her  father's 
injunctions  to  bravery  and  fortitude  and  she  deter 
mined  that  she  would  not  give  way,  especially  before 
the  eyes  of  that  man  by  whose  side  she  stood. 

Following  the  scream,  there  was  a  splash  in  the 
water,  and  James  Gregory,  planter,  of  South  Carolina, 


3/o  BLENNERHASSETT 

had  met  the  fate  dealt  out  to  all  his  prisoners  by  Cap 
tain  Thaddeus  Boncourt  of  the  pirate  ship  La  Ven 
geance. 

"  Your  name,"  cried  Captain  Thaddeus  to  the  second 
in  the  line,  an  old  gentleman,  fully  seventy  years  of 
age. 

"  My  name,"  said  he,  slowly  and  deliberately,  "  is 
Thomas  Hutchinson.  I  am  a  retired  planter  going 
North  to  visit  my  son  who  is  established  in  business  in 
New  York  City.  His  mother  is  dead  and  he  wished 
me  to  come  and  spend  my  last  days  with  him." 

The  captain  laughed :  "  Instead  of  which,  you  have 
decided  to  spend  your  last  days  with  me." 

"  Not  of  my  own  free  will,"  replied  the  man.  "  I 
have  done  you  no  harm.  Why  should  you  •  wreak 
vengeance  upon  these  poor  people  here  who  have  never 
injured  you,  in  fact  never  heard  of  you  until  you  cap 
tured  our  little  ship?  Is  it  not  enough  to  rob  us  of 
our  money  and  our  clothing?  Why  should  you  wish 
our  lives?  What  good  can  it  do  you  to  murder  us 
when,  if  living,  we  could  not  harm  you  ?  " 

"  Well  spoken,"  said  Captain  Thaddeus,  "  but  I  ob 
ject  to  the  word  rob,  for  we  do  not  rob  you;  we  only 
take  those  articles  for  which  you  have  no  further  use. 
You  ask  me  why  I  wish  your  death.  I  have  never  told 
the  story  before,  but,  as  there  is  a  lady  present,"  and  he 
turned  his  glittering  eyes  upon  Theodosia's  face,  "  I 
will  tell  the  story  for  her  benefit  and,  of  course,  you 
can  profit  by  it.  My  father  was  a  Frenchman ;  all  good 
men  are  Frenchmen;  all  bad  men  are  English  or  sons 
of  Englishmen.  His  name  was  Achille  Boncourt;  my 
mother's  name  was  Marie.  I  was  the  oldest  of  six 
children,  two  brothers  and  three  sisters  besides  my 
self.  My  father  was  a  successful  farmer  and  we  en 
joyed  peace  and  plenty  until  the  English  came  to  de 
prive  us  of  our  liberties.  I  was  twelve  years  of  age 
when,  one  night  after  dark,  a  young  Frenchman  came 


CAPTAIN  THADDEUS         371 

secretly  to  our  house  and  asked  my  father  to  hide  him. 
He  told  his  story  to  my  father;  I  never  knew  what  it 
was.  The  next  farm  to  ours  was  owned  by  an  English 
man,  named  Ventress;  my  father  and  he  had  had  some 
dispute  over  a  fence  between  the  two  farms.  The 
matter  had  been  taken  before  the  judge  and  not  only 
had  my  father  won,  but  Ventress  was  obliged  to  give, 
up  quite  a  piece  of  his  land  as  it  was  proven  to  belong 
to  my  father.  Then  Ventress  swore  vengeance.  When 
an  Englishman  is  beaten  in  fair  fight  he  always  swears 
vengeance;  that  is  the  only  good  trait  they  have,  they 
never  give  in  while  they  live.  This  Ventress  must  have 
seen  the  young  Frenchman  when  he  came  to  my 
father's  house  and  gave  word  to  the  English  soldiers. 
I  was  outside  the  house  when  I  saw  them  coming.  I  ran 
in  and  told  my  father.  He  said  I  must  take  the  young 
man  by  a  secret  path  that  I  knew  and  lead  him  away 
from  the  house.  This  I  did,  but  what  did  I  find  when  I 
returned  after  taking  him  to  a  place  of  safety?  Our 
little  farm-house  burned  to  the  ground  and  beneath  its 
charred  timbers  the  bodies  of  my  father,  mother,  two 
little  brothers,  and  three  sisters.  I  should  not  have 
known  how  it  had  occurred,  but,  outside  the  house,  I 
found  the  dead  body  of  an  English  soldier  and  in  his 
heart  I  found  my  father's  knife.  Then  I  took  an  oath 
that  whilst  I  lived  every  Englishman  and  everyone 
who  spoke  the  English  tongue  who  fell  within  my 
power  should  die.  I  went  to  sea  as  soon  as  I  could  and 
joined  a  pirate  ship.  I  saved  my  money  and  when  I 
had  enough  I  bought  this  ship.  It  is  mine.  I  own 
every  timber  of  it.  I  am  its  captain.  I  named  it  La 
Vengeance,  and  I  have  had  it  to  the  full,  but  while  I 
live  I  shall  go  on  killing  Englishmen,  and  those  who 
speak  that  cursed  tongue.  Now,  Drebat,  do  your  duty." 
Jules  Drebat  was  nothing  loath.  One  by  one,  the 
prisoners  were  robbed,  blindfolded,  and  then  led  for 
ward  to  meet  their  fate.  Theodosia  had  thought  that 


372  BLENNERHASSETT 

this  succession  of  horrors  would  surely  break  down  her 
nerves  but,  to  her  surprise,  she  found  as  her  time  ap 
proached  that  she  grew  steadier  and  steadier  mentally, 
and  she  looked  forward  without  fear  to  her  coming 
fate.  Finally,  she  was  alone  with  the  pirates. 

"What  is  your  name?"  asked  the  captain,  as  he 
had  of  the  others. 

"  Marie  Vaillant.     Je  suis  Franqaise." 

"  She  lies !  "  cried  Drebat,  "  she  is  not  French. 
When  she  was  on  the  other  ship  she  spoke  English.  1 
heard  her." 

"  What  do  you  say  to  that,  Mam'selle  ?  "  asked  the 
captain,  turning  his  glistening  eyes  upon  Theodosia. 

"  Your  friend,"  she  answered,  "  is  evidently  not 
aware  that  it  is  possible  for  a  person  to  know  two  lan 
guages  and  be  able  to  speak  them  both  as  occasion 
may  require." 

"  That's  a  good  one  on  you,  Jules,"  cried  the  cap 
tain,  with  a  loud  laugh.  Supposing  she  is  French, 
what  have  you  got  to  say  ?  " 

"A  good  deal,"  growled  the  first  mate,  for  Jules 
Drebat  held  that  post  on  the  pirate  ship.  "  She  fired 
the  cannon  that  sank  one  of  our  boats  and,  curse  her, 
it  was  she  who -cut  off  my  brother  Manuel's  hand,  and 
he  fell  into  the  water  and  was  drowned  before  we 
could  save  him." 

'  That  proves  she  is  French,"  cried  the  captain,  "  that 
shows  that  one  little  French  girl  had  more  spirit  and 
bravery  than  a  whole  crew  of  Englishmen." 

"  It  shows  nothing,"  again  growled  Drebat.  "  Ac 
cording  to  the  rules  of  this  ship,  made  by  you,  even  if 
she  is  French,  she  has  been  the  death  of  five  of  our  crew 
and  I  demand  her  life." 

Signs  of  approval  came  from  some  of  the  members  of 
the  crew. 

'  Then  it  comes  to  this,"  said  the  captain.  "  I  be 
lieve  the  girl  is  French,  and,  being  French,  she  is  safe. 


CAPTAIN  THADDEUS         373 

I  honor  her  for  her  bravery.  You  say  she  is  not  French, 
but  if  she  is,  that  she  must  die  because  she  is  a  brave 
Frenchwoman.  Now  which  one  of  us  is  to  have  his 
way?" 

A  fiendish  look  came  upon  Drebat's  face.  "  She 
killed  my  brother,"  he  snarled,  between  his  teeth,  "  and 
I  will  have  her  life  if  I  lose  my  own  in  taking  it."  As 
he  said  this,  he  rushed  towards  Theodosia  and,  grasp 
ing  her  about  the  waist,  started  towards  the  plank;  but 
he  did  not  go  far.  With  an  oath,  the  captain  was  upon 
him,  grasping  him  by  the  back  of  the  neck  and  hold 
ing  him  in  a  vice-like  grip.  Accordingly,  his  hold  upon 
Theodosia  loosened  and  she  slipped  to  the  deck.  Then, 
if  ever,  might  she  have  swooned ;  but  no !  the  Spartan- 
like  heroism  that  had  been  planted  in  her  breast  by  her 
father's  teaching  and  had  been  inculcated  in  all  his 
lessons,  stood  her  in  good  stead.  She  turned  and 
looked  at  the  face  of  her  captor.  Releasing  his  hold 
upon  Drebat's  neck,  the  captain  pushed  him  from  him. 

Then  Drebat,  in  his  rage,  lost  his  head.  He  did  that 
which  no  man  on  La  Vengeance  had  ever  dared  to  do 
before;  he  drew  his  cutlass  and  advanced  towards  Cap 
tain  Thaddeus  witfc  a  murderous  look  in  his  eye.  Quick 
as  lightning,  Captain  Thaddeus  had  his  cutlass  in  hand; 
a  few  passes,  and  Drebat  was  disarmed,  his  weapon 
falling  heavily  upon  the  deck. 

"  Drebat !  "  cried  Captain  Thaddeus,  "  you  said  there 
must  be  another  victim,  and  there  shall  be !  You  were 
so  very  fond  of  your  brother  you  may  go  and  join  him." 
Without  another  word,  Captain  Thaddeus  grasped 
Drebat,  ran  with  him  to  the  bulwarks  and  threw  him 
into  the  sea.  Then  his  voice  rang  out  loud  and  clear : 
"Haul  in  the  plank!  Hoist  all  sail!  Jean  Rollin," 
said  he,  addressing  a  thick-set  man  who  stood  near 
him,  "  you  are  my  first  mate.  I  will  appoint  a  second 
mate  to-morrow.  Mam'selle,  permit  me."  With  all 
the  grace  of  a  courtier,  he  extended  his  arm  to  Theo- 


374  BLENNERHASSETT 

dosia.  As  they  descended  to  the  cabin,  a  loud  cry  was 
heard  near  the  stern  of  the  ship.  Not  a  head  was 
turned.  Not  a  man  looked  in  the  direction  from  which 
the  sound  come.  If  one  had  looked,  he  would  have 
seen  Jules  Drebat  raise  his  right  hand  towards  Heaven 
and,  if  the  words  could  have  reached  him,  he  would 
have  heard  a  curse  invoked  by  the  drowning  man  upon 
the  head  of  Captain  Thaddeus.  If  the  man  had  looked 
a  moment  later,  he  would  have  seen  nothing,  for  Jules 
Drebat  had  gone  to  join  his  brother  Manuel. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII 

"  TEACH    ME    TO    BE   A    GOOD    MAN  " 

WHEN  Theodosia  looked  around  the  cabin  to 
which  she  had  been  conducted  by  Captain 
Thaddeus,  she  realized  at  once  that  he  had 
given  her  his  own  apartment.  The  shades  of  night 
closed  in  about  the  ship.  A  young  man,  presumably  a 
pirate,  but  very  youthful  in  appearance,  entered  the 
room  with  a  candle.  This  he  placed  in  a  small  candela 
brum  on  the  side  of  the  cabin,  and  lighted  it.  Without 
a  word,  he  left  the  room,  closing  the  door  behind  him. 
He  soon  returned  bearing  a  tray  containing  food  and  a 
bottle  of  wine.  Again,  without  a  word,  he  left  the 
room. 

Theodosia  could  not  eat  after  the  experience  she  had 
been  through;  her  fortitude  seemed  to  be  deserting  her; 
she  had  escaped  the  fate  of  her  nine  companions  but  the 
truth  dawned  upon  her  that  perhaps  she  had  been  re 
served  for  a  doom  even  worse.  Still,  she  felt  that  she 
must  not  give  way  physically;  so  seating  herself  at  the 
table,  she  managed  to  swallow  a  small  quantity  of  food 
and  drink  a  glass  of  wine.  As  the  generous  liquid 
coursed  through  her  frame,  all  her  courage  seemed  to 
return. 

At  that  moment,  there  was  a  light  knock  upon  the 
door.  Theodosia  said  nothing.  The  knock  was  re 
peated,  a  little  louder.  "  Come  in !  "  she  said,  in  French. 
The  door  was  opened  and  Captain  Thaddeus  stood  be 
fore  her. 

"  Pardon  me,  Mam'selle,  for  this  intrusion.     I  came 

375 


376  BLENNERHASSETT 

only  to  inform  you  that  this  cabin  is  at  your  disposal. 
In  that  cabinet  you  will  find  paper,  pens,  and  ink;  "  he 
pointed  to  the  right  of  the  room.  "  Here  is  the  key." 
He  passed  her  a  small  silver  key.  "  Everything  in  this 
cabin  is  at  your  disposal,  including  myself.  If  you 
should  need  anything,  ring  this  bell,"-  and'  he  placed  a 
small  silver  bell  upon  the  table.  "  Once  more,"  con 
tinued  the  captain,  "  I  must  ask  you  to  pardon  this  in 
trusion.  I  will  call  upon  you  again  as  soon  as  my 
duties  will  permit."  'With  a  low  bow,  Captain  Thad- 
deus  retired  from  the  apartment,  and  Theodosia  was 
left  alone. 

The  majority  of  women  in  such  a  situation  would 
have  passed  the  night  in  fear  and  trepidation.  Not  so 
with  Theodosia.  She  was  exhausted  physically  and 
mentally.  The  captain's  bunk  was  comfortable,  and 
she  was  not  surprised  when  she  awoke  to  find  the  morn 
ing  sunlight  streaming  through  the  port-holes.  She 
had  not  undressed  and  so  it  was  but  a  few  moments 
before  she  had  made  her  simple  toilet.  Then  she  sat 
down  to  realize,  if  possible,  her  situation,  and  to  what 
it  would  probably  lead.  She  finally  decided  that  specu 
lation  would  do  no  good;  she  could  only  deal  with 
events  as  they  took  place,  and,  feeling  hungry,  she  fol 
lowed  the  captain's  instructions  and  rang  the  little 
silver  bell.  The  young,  mild-looking  pirate  appeared. 
Theodosia  said  but  one  word,  "  Breakfast."  The 
young  man  retired,  but  soon  returned  with  a  tempting 
meal,  including  a  cup  of  smoking  coffee  which,  from 
the  aroma,  Theodosia  knew  must  be  the  real  article 
without  adulteration.  She  ate  a  good  breakfast  and  at 
her  summons  the  dishes  were  removed.  Then  she  made 
an  examination  of  the  cabin.  With  the  little  silver  key, 
she  opened  the  cabinet.  What  the  captain  had  said 
was  true.  There  were  paper,  pens,  and  ink.  She 
would  write,  but  to  whom  ?  What  prospect  was  there, 
if  she  wrote  a  letter,  that  it  would  ever  be  delivered? 


TEACH  ME  TO  BE  GOOD      377 

Then  she  remembered  her  father's  injunction  that, 
under  all  circumstances,  she  should  keep  a  diary  or 
journal  of  passing  events.  She  took  some  of  the  paper 
and  seating  herself  at  the  table  wrote,  in  French,  a  full 
description  of  the  sailing  of  the  "  Patriot,"  its  escape 
from  the  storm,  its  capture  by  the  pirate  ship,  and  the 
fearful  scenes  that  had  followed. 

She  replaced  the  sheets  in  the  cabinet  and  was  about 
to  lock  it  when  something  caught  her  eye.  It  was  a 
small  dagger  in  a  jeweled  case.  She  took  it  and  ex 
amined  it.  The  blade  was  slender  but  sharp.  She  re 
placed  it  in  its  case  and  put  it  in  the  bosom  of  her  dress. 
The  time  might  come  when  she  would  need  it. 

Dinner  and  supper,  and  another  night's  undisturbed 
sleep  followed.  It' was  not  until  the  morning  of  the 
second  day  that  Captain  Thaddeus  again  entered  the 
cabin. 

During  the  previous  day  and  the  second  night,  Theo- 
dosia  had  had  plenty  of  time  for  thought.  She  had 
gone  over  in  her  mind  the  whole  affair  since  their  de 
parture  from  Charleston.  She  had  decided  upon  her 
course  and,  having  done  this,  she  determined  to  follow 
it.  Thus,  her  father  had  always  taught  her,  proceed 
not  hurriedly  but  advisedly;  and  when  she  had  once 
made  up  her  mind  that  a  certain  plan  of  action  was 
right,  to  let  nothing  turn  her  from  it. 

As  Captain  Thaddeus  entered  the  cabin,  she  arose 
and  stood  before  him.  "  Captain  Thaddeus,"  she  said, 
"  I  wish  to  make  a  confession."  She  spoke  in  French. 

"  I  do  not  think,"  said  the  captain,  with  a  laugh, 
"  that  I  am  a  proper  person  to  be  father  confessor  for 
a  young  lady  like  yourself." 

"  And  yet,"  said  Theodosia,  "  it  is  only  to  you  that 
the  confession  should  and  must  be  made.  I  never, 
until  day  before  yesterday,  intentionally  told  and  per 
sisted  in  an  untruth ;  but  I  did  it,  as  I  thought  then,  for 
a  good  purpose;  when  that  purpose  is  accomplished  I 


378  BLENNERHASSETT 

see  no  reason  why  you  should  extend  any  further  pro 
tection  to  me." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  asked  the  captain,  a  look 
of  astonishment  showing  itself  upon  his  face. 

"  First,  answer  me !  "  said  Theodosia.  "  Tell  me,  if 
you  can,  the  name  of  that  young  Frenchman  who  came 
to  your  father's  house  on  the  night  when — " 

"  I  understand,"  said  the  captain.  "  I  shall  never 
forget  that  night.  The  young  man's  name,  for  he  told 
it  to  me  when  we  parted,  after  he  had  reached  a  place 
of  safety,  was  Adolphe  Arnot." 

"  I  thought  so !  "  cried  Theodosia,  and  a  smile  il 
lumined  her  face. 

Captain  Thaddeus  looked  at  her  in  astonishment. 
What  woman  was  this  who  could  smile  so  sweetly  in 
such  a  situation. 

"  I  thought  so,"  repeated  Theodosia,  "  and,  on  my 
knees,  I  thank  you  for  your  kindness  to  my  father." 

"  Your  father!  "  said  Captain  Thaddeus,  "  what  do 
you  mean?  I  have  never  seen  your  father." 

"  Yes,  you  have,"  said  Theodosia,  "  although  you 
did  not  know  him.  The  young  man  who  gave  you  the 
name  of  Adolphe  Arnot  was  not  a  Frenchman.  He 
was  English  born  but  rebelled  against  British  rule; 
when  he  claimed  shelter  at  your  father's  house  he  was 
on  his  way  from  General  Arnold,  at  Quebec,  bearing 
dispatches  to  General  Montgomery  at  Montreal.  His 
name  was  not  Arnot.  His  real  name  was  Aaron  Burr. 
I  am  not  French!  I  am  that  young  man's  daughter 
and  only  child;  my  name  is  Theodosia  Burr.  When 
you  told  your  story,  it  flashed  upon  my  mind  that  this 
young  Frenchman  must  have  been  my  father.  I  said 
that  I  was  French,  but  my  object  was  to  do  what  I  have 
done — to  thank  you  for  your  kindness  to  my  father; 
for,  in  having  that  father,  I  have  enjoyed  the  greatest 
blessing  that  was  ever  vouchsafed  to  human  being. 
Now  that  I  have  thanked  you  and  you  know  the  truth, 


TEACH  ME  TO  BE  GOOD      379 

there  is  no  reason  why  the  oath  that  you  have  made  to 
your  followers  should  not  be  kept.  I  am  ready  to  meet 
my  fate !  "  As  she  said  this,  she  faced  him  proudly. 
The  captain  deliberated :  "  I  will  think  the  matter  over. 
You  have  done  right  to  tell  me  the  truth.  I  will  see  you 
again  in  a  few  days  and  give  you  my  decision."  He 
fixed  his  eyes  upon  her;  to  Theodosia  it  seemed  as  if 
that  glance  pierced  her  through  and  through,  but  she 
did  not  bow  her  head  nor  cast  down  her  eyes.  With 
all  the  grace  of  a  courtier,  Captain  Thaddeus  bowed, 
and  she  was  again  alone. 

Each  day,  she  made  entries  in  her  journal,  still  using 
the  French  language.  One  morning  there  was  great 
excitement  on  deck.  She  knew  from  what  she  heard, 
for  she  did  not  see,  that  another  vessel  had  been  cap 
tured.  She  threw  herself  upon  her  face  in  her  berth 
and  remained  there  until  all  was  over.  Once,  she  took 
the  little  jeweled  dagger  from  its  sheath,  touched  its 
point  with  her  finger,  and  even  pressed  the  flesh  above 
her  heart.  No!  She  would  never  kill  herself.  She 
would  meet  death  bravely  when  it  came,  but  never  by 
her  own  hand. 

Several  more  days  passed  and  still  no  visit  from 
Captain  Thaddeus.  Was  she  to  be  held  as  a  prisoner  ? 
What  would  be  his  decision?  She  was  soon  to  learn 
and  be  greatly  surprised  thereat. 

One  morning,  the  same  light  knock  came  at  the  door. 
Again,  at  her  bidding,  the  captain  entered.  "  May 
I  be  seated,"  he  asked,  in  a  pleasant  tone,  and  in 
French. 

"  Certainly,  sir,  this  is  your  own  cabin." 

"  Not  so,  Mam'selle.  Did  I  not  say  it  was  yours  ? 
Who  is  there  on  this  vessel  to  contest  my  word  now 
that  Jules  Drebat  is  no  longer  with  us?  " 

Theodosia  did  not  reply. 

"  What  have  you  been  doing  since  I  last  saw  you  ?  " 
asked  the  captain. 


38o 


BLENNERHASSETT 


"  Awaiting  your  sentence,"  answered  Theodosia. 
"  Whatever  it  may  be,  I  am  prepared  to  meet  it." 

"  If  you  are  not  a  Frenchwoman,"  said  Captain 
Thaddeus,  with  a  look  of  admiration  in  his  face,  "  I 
think  you  ought  to  be.  I  have  come  to  a  decision." 

"And  it  is?"  cried  Theodosia,  as  she  rose  to  her 
feet  and  looked  up  into  his  face. 

"  I  have  decided,"  said  Captain  Thaddeus,  "  that  I 
cannot  allow  you  to  meet  the  fate  that  befell  your 
fellow-passengers.  It  is  the  rule  of  the  ship,  I  know, 
but  I  made  the  rules  and  I  can  set  them  aside;  of 
course,  with  the  consent  of  my  followers.  If  they  ob 
ject  to  my  decision,  I  shall  have  to  fight  them  all  and 
the  chances  are  that  they  would  win — in  the  end." 

"  Have  you  asked  them?  " 

"  Not  yet,"  said  the  captain. 

"  But  why,"  asked  Theodosia,  "  why  should  you  set 
aside  your  rules  in  my  favor  ?  What  have  I  done  that 
I  should  be  favored?  M.  Drebat  told  you  truly,  it  was 
I  who  fired  the  cannon;  it  was  I  who  killed,  or  caused 
the  death  of  his  brother;  and  I  will  tell  you  what  he 
did  not  know,  that  it  was  I  who  induced  the  passengers 
to  resist  you  in  the  first  place.  Now  what  reason  can 
there  be  why  the  same  fate  that  was  accorded  to  my 
fellow-passengers  should  not  fall  to  me  ?  " 

"  Because,"  said  the  captain,  standing  up  and  look 
ing  full  into  Theodosia's  face,  "  because,  and  you  force 
me  to  say  it,  because,  Theodosia,"  and  he  spoke  her 
name,  for  the  first  time,  "  I  love  you  and  have  loved 
you  ever  since  you  stood  by  my  side  on  the  day  we 
met." 

At  these  words,  Theodosia  recoiled  and  she  in 
voluntarily  placed  her  hand  upon  the  dagger  in  her 
bosom  to  be  sure  it  was  there.  Yes,  the  time  was  fast 
approaching  when  she  would  be  forced  to  use  it;  per 
haps  it  was  now  at  hand. 

"  You  do  not  love  me,"  said  Captain  Thaddeus.     "  I 


;  BECAUSE,   THEODOSIA, I    LOVE    YOU." 


TEACH  ME  TO  BE  GOOD      381 

did  not  expect  it.  I  am  not  so  unreasonable,  but  that 
does  not  keep  me  from  loving  you." 

"  No !  "  cried  Theodosia.  "  You  surely  could  not 
expect  me  to  love  you,  knowing  what  I  do  of  your  life 
and  your  deeds.  The  only  good  thing  that  I  know 
about  you  is  that  you  were  kind  to  my  father  and  for 
that  I  can  forgive  you  much,  but  not  the  cruel  deeds, 
the  wanton  murders  of  which  you  have  been  the  cause. 
I  acknowledge  that  your  sufferings  were  great,  that  it 
was  base  of  the  English  to  kill  your  parents  and  your 
brothers  and  sisters  as  they  did,  but  your  cup  of  ven 
geance  is  full  and  running  over.  No,  I  could  not  love 
you,  Captain  Thaddeus,  but — "  and  she  stopped. 

"But  what?"  asked  the  Captain.  "Supposing  I 
give  up  my  life  as  a  pirate;  supposing  I  repent  all  my 
past  deeds  and  promise  to  do  ill  no  more  ?  If  I  do  this, 
will  you  teach  me  to  be  a  good  man  ?  " 

Theodosia  saw  behind  this  speech  and  read  its  hidden 
purpose.  What  should  she  say?  Should  she  bind 
herself  in  any  way  to  this  man ;  and,  if  so,  should  she 
ever  escape  from  the  thraldom  into  which  she  might 
fall?  She  closed  her  eyes.  Then  she  saw  a  picture 
of  her  beloved  husband  from  whom  she  had  been  parted 
so  short  a  time  and  who  was  to  meet  her  in  New  York. 
Then  she  thought  of  that  dearly-beloved  father  from 
whom  she  had  been  separated  for  so  many  years  and 
who  was  now  in  New  York  awaiting  her  coming. 
Should  she  refuse  to  accept  the  captain's  proposal,  she 
knew  that  she  should  never  see  either  husband  or  father 
again.  Her  fate  might  yet  be  death.  Within  her 
bosom  she  carried  that,  which,  at  the  last  extremity, 
could  save  her  from  dishonor.  Opening  her  eyes  and 
looking  up  into  the  captain's  face,  she  said :  "  If  you 
will  give  up  this  life  and  promise  never  to  return  to  it 
I  will  do  what  little  I  can  to  help  you." 

He  extended  his  hand  but,  again,  she  recoiled.  "  You 
ought  not  to  ask  me  to  do  that,"  she  said.  "  I  can 


382  BLENNERHASSETT 

never  touch  your  hand  nor  let  your  hand  touch  me 
while  we  are  on  this  ship." 

"  You  are  right,"  said  the  captain.  "  I  will  think 
the  matter  over  and  see  how  it  can  best  be  carried  out. 
I  will  see  you  again." 

Several  days  had  passed  and  once  more  Captain 
Thaddeus  was  in  the  little  cabin.  "  I  have  decided 
upon  my  course,"  said  he.  "  The  men  have  had  con 
siderable  to  say  about  your  presence  on  the  ship.  They 
have  not  dared  to  express  this  openly  until  yesterday 
when  they  deputed  the  first  mate,  Rollin,  to  express 
their  feelings  to  me.  I  received  him  pleasantly,  much 
to  his  surprise,  and  told  him  that  I  had  only  been  wait 
ing  for  a  convenient  opportunity  to  put  you  ashore.  I 
have  changed  the  course  of  the  ship  and  we  are  now 
rapidly  approaching  the  coast  of  Cuba.  There  is  a 
little  harbor  or  inlet  with  which  I  am  well  acquainted. 
When  once  you  have  entered  the  little  bay  you  are 
shaded  from  outside  view  so  that,  after  we  have  landed, 
it  will  be  sometime  before  they  will  suspect  that  I  have 
left  them  for  good.  From  time  to  time,  I  have  turned 
my  share  of  the  booty  into  letters  of  credit  on  Paris. 
I  shall  take  with  me  only  enough  gold  for  our  imme 
diate  needs.  After  landing,  we  will  endeavor  to  reach 
some  village  in  Cuba  where  we  will  secrete  ourselves 
for  a  time.  This  will  be  absolutely  necessary,  for  they 
will  surely  hunt  for  me.  You  must  keep  your  name  of 
Marie  Vaillant.  I  will  adopt  that  of  Achilla  Vaillant. 
I  always  liked  my  father's  name.  I  will  be — ."  Theo- 
dosia  looked  up  into  his  face,  inquiringly.  "  I  will  be 
your  brother,  Achille  Vaillant,  and  you  will  be  my 
sister  Marie.  I  always  loved  the  name  Marie  for  it 
was  my  mother's." 

The  captain  rang  the  little  silver  bell  upon  the  table 
and  the  mild-mannered  young  pirate  appeared.  "  Bring 
us  a  bottle  of  champagne  and  glasses,"  said  the  cap 
tain.  When  the  young  man  had  left  the  room,  the 


TEACH  ME  TO  BE  GOOD      383 

captain  said,  "  We  will  drink  success  to  my  reforma 
tion." 

In  due  time,  the  wine  was  opened  and  the  glasses 
rilled.  Theodosia  merely  touched  the  glass  with  her 
lips.  "  Does  that  mean  that  you  have  but  little  confi 
dence  in  the  future  that  you  drink  so  little  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Theodosia,  "  but  this  must  be  your  last 
glass  of  wine  while  you  remain  my  brother." 

"  So  be  it !  "  cried  the  captain,  and  when  he  had 
emptied  his  glass  he  crushed  it  in  his  hand  and  placed 
the  fragments  upon  the  table.  "  Thus  do  I  seal  my 
bond,"  and  looking  at  his  hand  which  had  been  cut  by 
the  broken  glass,  he  added,  "  with  blood !  Now,  sister 
Marie,  be  prepared  at  any  moment  to  accompany  me. 
I  will  not  stay  longer  now  for  it  may  cause  comment 
and  I  wish  to  avoid  that  as  much  as  possible."  Again, 
a  courtly  bow  and  he  was  gone. 

Theodosia  sat  for  some  time,  busy  with  her  thoughts. 
The  die  was  cast — she  was  to  accompany  this  man. 
How  would  it  end?  There  was  only  one  course  to 
follow.  She  must  take  events  as  they  came  and  not 
try  to  forestall  them.  Then  a  thought  struck  her. 
Taking  a  sheet  of  paper,  she  wrote  a  letter  in  cypher  to 
her  father.  Removing  the  dagger  from  her  bosom,  she 
severed  a  lock  of  hair  and  placed  it  inside  the  letter. 
Then  she  folded  and  sealed  it.  There  were  sealing-wax 
and  a  seal  in  the  cabinet  and  it  happened  that  the  seal 
bore  the  letter  "  B."  Then  she  wrote  another  letter, 
this  in  English,  and  to  her  husband,  Joseph  Alston.  In 
it  she  placed  the  two  broken  fragments  of  her  wedding 
ring.  This  too,  was  folded  and  sealed.  Then  she 
took  the  champagne  bottle  and  opening  the  port-hole 
turned  the  wine  into  the  ocean.  Next,  she  took  her 
journal,  or  diary,  and  wrote  for  some  time,  adding 
several  closely-written  pages,  still  in  French.  This  she 
rolled  into  the  smallest  compass  possible  and  fastened 
it  at  both  ends  and  in  the  centre  with  a  silken  thread 


384  BLENNERHASSETT 

which  she  drew  from  her  dress.  Inserting  it  in  the  neck 
of  the  bottle  she  dropped  it  and  it  fell  to  the  bottom. 
By  doubling  up  the  letters  which  she  had  written  she 
was  able  to  force  them  through  the  neck  of  the  bottle 
until  they,  too,  fell  to  the  bottom.  With  great  exertion, 
she  managed  to  restore  the  cork  to  its  original  position. 
Taking  up  the  stick  of  sealing-wax,  she  covered  the 
cork  so  thickly  with  the  wax  that  the  whole  was  im 
pervious  to  water.  She  stamped  it  with  the  same  seal 
she  had  used  upon  the  letters.  Then  she  placed  the 
bottle  in  the  cabinet,  locking  it  with  the  silver  key. 

Several  days  passed  during  which  Theodosia  was  in 
a  state  of  anxious  suspense.  Why  did  he  not  come? 
Had  anything  happened  to  him?  No,  if  there  had, 
some  member  of  the  crew  would  surely  have  come  to 
tell  her.  He  must  still  be  in  command. 

One  evening  the  sky  was  thickly  overcast  and,  al 
though  it  could  not  be  more  than  four  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon,  it  seemed  almost  as  dark  as  night.  The 
young  man  brought  the  candle  much  earlier  than  usual. 
Theodosia  had  a  presentiment  that  the  time  had  come. 
All  her  preparations  were  made.  When  she  left  the 
"  Patriot  "  she  had  worn  a  long  cloak  and  she  felt  that 
this  garment  would  be  of  great  service  to  her  in  carry 
ing  out  her  plan.;  Impelled  by  something,  she  knew  not 
what,  as  the  darkness  increased,  she  extinguished  the 
candle ;  then  she  felt  to  be  sure  that  the  dagger  was  safe 
in  its  hiding-place.  The  champagne  bottle  was  slipped 
beneath  her  cloak.  She  sat  in  her  chair  in  the  darkness. 

Suddenly  the  door  opened  and  a  voice  said  in  a  low 
whisper,  "  Marie !  "  She  answered,  in  the  same  low 
tone,  "  Achille !  "  "  Come  with  me,"  said  the  voice. 

In  a  moment  they  were  on  deck,  and  in  a  moment 
more  they  had  descended  from  the  ship  and  were  in  a 
small  boat  that  lay  at  the  side  of  La  Vengeance.  As 
Theodosia  took  her  seat  in  the  stern  of  the  boat,  she 
spread  her  cloak  out  over  the  water  as  though  adjust- 


TEACH  ME  TO  BE  GOOD      385 

ing  it  and,  at  that  moment,  dropped  the  champagne 
bottle  into  the  water.  It,  naturally,  made  a  slight 
plash  as  it  fell,  but  the  outspread  cloak  deadened  the 
sound  and  it  was  not  noticed  even  by  the  acute  ear  of 
the  captain. 

Taking  up  the  oars,  he  pulled  rapidly  in  the  direction 
of  the  little  cove.  It  was  quite  a  distance  to  the  shore 
and  it  seemed  as  though  the  darkness  grew  deeper  and 
deeper  as  they  progressed.  They  were  just  at  the 
mouth  of  the  little  bay,  having  turned  one  of  the 
points,  when,  suddenly,  their  little  boat  came  into  col 
lision  with  something.  Theodosia's  first  thought  was 
that  they  had  struck  a  rock  or  had  run  ashore,  but  her 
attention  was  immediately  aroused  by  the  sound  of  a 
voice,  and  the  next  moment  a  lantern  was  turned  to 
wards  them,  the  light  flashing  into  their  little  boat. 
With  an  oath,  Captain  Thaddeus  dropped  his  oars, 
jumped  to  his  feet,  and,  grasping  Theodosia  about  the 
waist  with  his  left  arm,  sprang  into  the  water.  As  he 
did  so,  the  light  from  the  lantern  was  turned  full  upon 
them  and  Theodosia  saw  that  their  little  craft  had  come 
into  collision  with  a  larger  boat  filled  with  sailors.  In 
the  bow  stood  a  young  man  holding  the  lantern  in  one 
hand  and  a  pistol  in  the  other. 

"  By  God !  "  he  cried,  "  'tis  Captain  Thaddeus,"  and 
his  voice  rang  out  loud  and  clear  in  the  stillness  of  the 
night.  As  he  spoke,  he  pointed  his  pistol  and  fired; 
then  drawing  his  other  pistol,  he  fired  again.  Both 
shots  took  effect.  His  aim- had  been  true.  The  first 
had  struck  Theodosia  in  her  right  side,  in  fact,  had  in 
flicted  a  severe  but  not  fatal  wound;  the  second  had 
been  better  aimed,  for  it  entered  the  heart  of  Captain 
Thaddeus  and,  without  a  cry,  he  loosed  his  hold  upon 
Theodosia  and  sank  beneath  the  waves. 

"  Pull,  boys !  pull !  "  cried  the  officer.  "  There  was 
a  woman  with  him."  A  few  strokes  of  the  oars  and 
the  boat  was  close  to  Theodosia.  The  officer  had 


3  86  BLENNERHASSETT 

turned  his  light  upon  the  water  and  saw  her  long  hair 
floating  upon  the  waves.  He  reached  out  and,  as  the 
boat  drew  nearer,  he  leaned  over  the  side  and  with  the 
help  of  one  of  the  sailors  Theodosia  was  lifted  in.  The 
cloak  had  fallen  from  her  shoulders  while  in  the  water 
and  the  dress  that  she  wore  was  stained  with  the  blood 
from  her  wound. 

"  Now,  pull  for  the  ship,  boys;  "  cried  the  officer. 
"  I  hope  to  Heaven  this  young  woman  is  not  mortally 
wounded.  We'll  get  her  to  the  surgeon  as  soon  as  we 
can." 

The  boat  was  driven  rapidly  forward  by  a  dozen 
willing  hands  in  the  direction  of  a  British  sloop-of-war, 
riding  at  anchor  in  the  little  bay,  whose  outlines  were 
dimly  seen  through  the  darkness. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV 

LAST  DAYS 

AS  has  been  stated,  Colonel  Troup,  an  old  army 
friend  of  Colonel  Burr,  had  given  him  a  desk 
in  his  office  and  thus  furnished  him  with  an 
opportunity  to  begin  his  law  practice  once  more.  Burr 
did  not  appear  in  court.  Colonel  Troup  attended  to  the 
court  cases  while  Burr  did  the  office  work,  assisted 
the  Colonel,  and  also  built  up  quite  a  business  in  the 
line  of  conveyancing,  making  out  deeds,  wills,  and 
other  legal  papers.  His  appearance  in  court  to  argue 
cases  would,  no  doubt,  have  provoked  antagonism  on 
the  part  of  those  whose  feelings  towards  him  were 
still  bitter.  But  as  he  sat  quietly  in  his  office  and  at 
tended  to  his  business,  there  was  no  opportunity  for  a 
display  of  such  feeling,  even  if  it  had  existed. 

Burr  found  comfortable  lodgings  in  a  quiet  street. 
He  had  two  rooms;  one  a  general  reception-room,  and 
the  other  his  study,  kitchen,  and  bedroom.  He  still 
clung  to  his  European  habit  of  getting  his  own  break 
fast  and  supper  and  making  his  own  tea  and  coffee, 
although  at  noon  he  dropped  into  a  retired  tavern  or 
chop-house  and  made  a  frugal  meal.  He  was  always 
abstemious,  and  his  living  as  regards  food  cost  him 
comparatively  little. 

As  he  was  often  interrupted  during  the  day  answer 
ing  the  inquiries  of  Colonel  Troup's  clients,  he  soon 
adopted  the  plan  of  taking  much  of  his  work  home, 
and  it  was  done  in  his  study  after  he  had  had  his  supper. 

Burr  made  no  attempt  to  extend  his  acquaintance, 

387 


388  BLENNERH^SSETT 

but  he  still  had  many  friends  in  the  city  who,  hearing 
of  his  return  home,  soon  manifested  their  confidence 
and  interest  in  him  by  visiting  him  at  his  lodgings. 
They  were  always  received  courteously  and  many  pleas 
ant  memories  were  called  up  during  their  conversations. 
Disagreeable  subjects,  by  mutual  consent,  were  avoided, 
and  Burr  experienced  more  real  contentment  during 
the  last  years  of  his  life  than  he  had  felt  during  the 
tumultuous  career  which  ended  on  receipt  of  the  news 
of  the  loss  of  the  "  Patriot."  As  he  had  said  at  that 
time,  with  it,  perished  the  last  tie  that  bound  him  to 
the  human  race — meaning,  of  course,  the  last  tie  of 
blood. 

Among  those  friends  who  gathered  at  his  lodgings 
from  time  to  time  to  pass  a  quiet  evening  either  in  his 
study  or  by  themselves  in  the  reception-room  when  he 
was  busy,  were  Colonel  Troup  and  Luther  Martin,  the 
famous  Maryland  lawyer  who  had  assisted  in  the  im 
peachment  case  of  Judge  Chase  before  the  American 
Senate  in  1805  arjd  who  was  also  one  of  Burr's  counsel 
at  his  trial  for  treason  and  conspiracy.  He  had  grown 
too  old  and  too  infirm  to  attend  to  his  business  as  a  law 
yer,  and  Burr,  in  his  kindness  of  heart,  gave  him  a  home 
and,  out  of  his  own  meagre  earnings,  fed  and  clothed 
him.  He  did  not  eat  with  Burr,  for  the  latter  never 
enjoyed  his  meals  so  well  as  when  he  cooked  them 
with  his  own  hands  and  ate  them  alone.  Martin  slept 
upon  a  lounge  in  the  sitting  or  reception  room  and  took 
his  meals  at  a  boarding-house  near  by. 

Another  guest  was  Doctor  Hosack,  the  surgeon  pres 
ent  on  that  memorable  eleventh  of  July  at  Weehawken 
Heights  when  Hamilton  fell;  but  neither  Doctor 
Hosack  nor  Colonel  Burr  ever  referred  to  that  day  or 
to  the  events  which  then  took  place. 

W.  P.  Van  Ness,  Burr's  second  at  the  duel,  was  still 
a  resident  of  New  York  and  his  face  was  often  seen  at 
Burr's  lodgings.  Although  older  in  years,  he  had  lost 


LAST  DATS  389 

but  little  of  that  aggressiveness  and  sternness  which 
had  made  him  so  strong  a  partisan  of  Burr  and  had 
caused  him  to  be  so  intensely  disliked  by  the  Federalists 
and  others  of  Burr's  foes.  His  bitter  enemy,  Cheet- 
ham,  had  died  about  six  years  after  the  duel. 

Matthew  L.  Da-vis,  an  old  friend  of  Burr  who  after 
wards  became  his  biographer  was  also  a  constant  visitor. 
To  him,  Burr  committed  all  his  letters  and  private 
papers  with  one  notable  exception.  What  that  excep 
tion  was,  it  took  fifty  years  and  the  most  remarkable 
concatenation  of  events  and  circumstances  to  disclose. 

One  pleasant  evening  in  September,  Luther  Martin 
and  Doctor  Hosack  were  in  Burr's  sitting-room  en 
gaged  in  friendly  conversation.  Colonel  Burr  was  in 
his  study  preparing  a  brief  which  Colonel  Troup  was 
to  call  for  late  that  evening  as  he  wished  to  file  it  in 
court  the  next  morning.  After  discussing  various  sub 
jects,  a  remark  was  made  by  Doctor  Hosack  which 
turned  the  conversation  to  Colonel  Burr's  ability  as  a 
military  leader. 

"  There  can  be  no  doubt,"  said  Doctor  Hosack,  "  in 
any  man's  mind,  whether  he  is  friend  or  foe  that,  so 
far  as  personal  bravery  goes,  no  man  in  the  Revolution 
ary  army  surpassed  Colonel  Burr.  I  do  not  think  that 
Colonel  Burr  knew  what  fear  was,  meaning,  by  fear, 
apprehension  of  any  personal  injury  to  himself.  You 
know,  of  course,  Mr.  Martin,  that  I  was  present  when 
General  Hamilton  fell.  I  have  never  spoken  of  it  to  a 
human  being  before,  but  the  contrast  between  those 
two  men  as  they  faced  each  other  on  that  fatal  morning 
was  remarkable.  Hamilton  showed  by  the  position  of 
his  body  and  the  look  on  his  face  that  he  was  in  mortal 
terror.  I  have  seen  the  same  look  on  the  faces  of  many 
of  my  patients  when  they  felt  that  death  was  near. 
Colonel  Burr  stood  as  firm  and  unmoved  as  a  rock. 
No  one  would  have  surmised  from  his  face  that  he  was 
not  present  at  a  reception  where  the  next  moment  he 


39o  BLENNERHASSETT 

might  be  called  upon  to  bow  or  to  extend  his  hand  to 
some  dignitary." 

"  I  have  no  doubt  of  it,"  replied  Martin.  "  Colonel 
Burr  was  and  is  to-day,  to  a  remarkable  extent,  a  man 
of  great  will  power.  I  was  with  him  all  through  his 
trial  at  Richmond,  and  although  he  knew  that  the 
power  of  the  President,  joined  to  the  influence  of  his 
other  enemies,  was  against  him,  he  stood  unmoved — to 
use  your  simile,  as  a  rock.  Never  by  word  or  look 
did  he  give  any  one  to  understand  that  he  had  the 
slightest  doubt  as  to  the  favorable  result  of  the  trial." 

As  he  said  this,  there  came  a  tap  at  the  door  of  the 
sitting-room  and  Martin  called  out,  "  Come  in !  "  The 
door  was  opened  and  Colonel  Troup  entered.  He  was 
not  alone,  but  approached  them  leading  an  elderly  gen 
tleman,  apparently  between  seventy  and  eighty  years  of 
age,  whose  form  was  bowed. 

"  Is  Colonel  Burr  in  ?  "  asked  Colonel  Troup.  Mar 
tin  replied  in  the  affirmative  and  without  a  word  Col 
onel  Troup  and  his  aged  companion  entered  Burr's 
study. 

"  Have  you  any  idea  who  that  is?  "  asked  Martin. 

"  Not  the  slightest,"  replied  Doctor  Hosack.  "  His 
face  is  new  to  me.  I  do  not  believe  that  he  is  a  New 
Yorker." 

At  that  moment,  Colonel  Troup  re-entered  the  room. 
"  I  have  left  them  together,"  he  said,  with  a  smile  on 
his  face.  "  I  don't  suppose  you  two  gentlemen  have 
the  remotest  idea  who  it  is  that  is  now  closeted  with 
Colonel  Burr?"  Both  shook  their  heads. 

'That  gentleman,"  said  Colonel  Troup,  "  is  Samuel 
Spring."     Both  looked  up,  inquiringly. 

'  That  does  not  convey  any  information  to   you, 
does  it?"  he  asked.     "Well,    that    is  the  Reverend 
Samuel  Spring,  father  of  Reverend  Gordon  Spring — " 
I  The  Episcopal  minister  ?  "  broke  in  Martin. 

"  Yes,"  said  Troup,  "  he  has  not  seen  Colonel  Burr 


"  WHAT   I    SAW  WAS   LITTLE   BURR    HERE,   BEARING   UPON    HIS   BACK  THE 
BODY   OF   GENERAL    MONTGOMERY." 


LAST  DATS  391 

for  fifty  years,  since  he  parted  with  him  on  the  morning 
when  General  Richard  Montgomery  was  killed  during 
the  attack  upon  the  city  of  Quebec." 

Colonel  Troup  would  have  told  more  of  the  particu 
lars  but,  at  that  moment,  the  study  door  opened  and 
Colonel  Burr  entered,  the  Reverend  Mr.  Spring  lean 
ing  upon  his  arm. 

"  Gentlemen,"  said  Mr.  Spring,  in  an  aged  and 
quavering  voice,  "  this  is  the  first  time  I  have  seen 
'  Little  Burr  '  " — and,  as  he  said  this,  he  laid  his  hand 
upon  Burr's  shoulder — "  since  he  was  a  stripling  of 
nineteen.  I  was  chaplain  of  the  command  under  Gen 
eral  Benedict  Arnold,  and  we  all  called  him  '  Little 
Burr.'  I  saw  him  at  Montgomery's  side  when  the  at 
tack  was  ordered.  I  heard  the  report  of  the  cannon 
that  killed  Montgomery.  Next,  I  witnessed  the  re 
treat  of  our  demoralized  soldiers.  I  supposed  they 
had  all  passed  me  and  I  had  turned  to  join  them, 
when  I  saw  coming  through  the  falling  snow  what  ap 
peared  to  be  a  very  tall  man.  I  thought  to  myself,  he 
is  wounded  and  that  accounts  for  his  being  so  far  be 
hind  the  others.  The  bullets  of  the  enemy  came  thick 
and  fast  but  I  determined  to  wait  until  the  stranger 
reached  me.  I  did  so,  and  discovered  that  it  was  not 
one  man  but  two ;  one  living,  the  other  dead.  What  I 
saw  was  Little  Burr,  here,  bearing  upon  his  back  the 
body  of  General  Montgomery.  We  kept  on  together 
until  we  were  beyond  the  reach  of  the  enemy's  fire  and 
then  the  little  fellow  was  obliged  to  drop  his  burden,  for 
Montgomery  weighed  at  least  twice  as  much  as  he 
did.  I  made  up  my  mind  when  I  heard  Colonel  Burr 
had  returned  to  New  York  that  I  would  see  him  once 
more  before  I  died,  and  it  has  made  me  happy  to  do 
so.  My  good  friend,  Colonel  Troup,  offered  to  accom 
pany  me  here  and  to  see  me  home  to  my  son's  house." 
When  the  old  gentleman  finished  his  speech  he  was 
led  to  a  comfortable  chair  by  Colonel  Burr  and  Col- 


392  BLENNERHASSETT 

onel  Troup.  "  You  will  rest  a  little  while,"  remarked 
the  latter,  "  before  we  go  back." 

"  Doctor  Hosack  and  I  had  been  speaking,"  re 
marked  Martin,  "  about  our  friend  Burr's  military  ex 
perience.  Now  I  am  going  to  ask  Colonel  Burr  a  ques 
tion,  which,  perhaps,  he  will  not  answer;  but  I  should 
like  to  know  in  what  military  event  with  which  he 
was  connected  he  took  the  greatest  pride  and  pleasure." 

"  That  is  easily  answered,"  said  Burr,  "  but,  strange 
as  it  may  seem,  my  most  satisfactory  military  exploit 
took  place  after  I  had  resigned  from  the  army  and  my 
resignation  had  been  accepted.  I  had  gone  home  to 
Connecticut,  suffering  from  a  disease  which  I  had  con 
tracted  at  the  battle  of  Monmouth,  and  was  lying  on  a 
sick-bed  when  news  came  that  my  old  enemy,  Governor 
Tryon,  was  approaching  the  city  of  New  Haven  with  a 
large  body  of  British  regulars  bent  on  burning  and 
looting  the  town.  I  got  up  and  put  on  my  uniform, 
although  I  had  no  official  right  to  wear  it,  buckled 
on  my  sword,  and  went  out  to  look  up  recruits.  There 
were  quite  a  number  of  militiamen  in  the  city  but  I 
found  it  impossible  to  induce  them  to  follow  me  and 
meet  the  on-coming  force  of  British  soldiers.  No,  they 
could  fight  from  behind  stone  walls  or  breastworks  but 
they  were  not  equal  to  meeting  regular  troops  in  the 
open.  I  did  not  blame  them,  for  I  knew  that  there  could 
be  but  one  result  if  they  did. 

"  At  that  moment,  I  heard  that  the  Yale  boys  had 
gathered  on  the  College  Green,  armed  with  muskets 
and  rifles,  and  were  eager  to  be  led  against  the  enemy. 
I  mounted  a  horse  and  rode  to  the  college.  What 
I  had  heard  was  true;  the  brave  young  fellows  were 
ready  to  fight  and  die  for  their  country  and  their  be 
loved  city.  With  their  aid  and  that  of  some  of  the 
militiamen,  we  constructed  what,  at  a  distance,  must 
have  appeared  to  be  quite  a  formidable  redoubt.  Be 
hind  this  we  took  our  stand.  With  my  force  of  un- 


LAST  DATS 


393 


trained  and  undisciplined  youngsters,  I  succeeded  in 
keeping  the  enemy  at  bay  until  the  citizens  were  enabled 
to  convey  to  a  place  of  safety  their  most  valuable  pos 
sessions.  It  was  such  a  good  joke  upon  Tryon  whom  I 
had  met  once  before  under  similar  circumstances — when 
he  had  two  thousand  men  and  I  only  three  hundred — 
that  I  took  especial  pleasure  in  the  exploit,  and  you  can 
understand  why  I  consider  it  the  most  satisfactory  and 
creditable  of  all  my  military  undertakings." 

Burr  continued  to  carry  on  his  legal  business  in  the 
office  of  Colonel  Troup  until  the  latter's  death.  But 
now  his  income  from  the  modest  amount  of  business 
that  he  was  able  to  secure  was  not  sufficient  to  allow 
him  to  retain  the  office  formerly  occupied  by  his  friend. 
In  fact,  everything  was  sold  and  turned  into  money  for 
the  benefit  of  Colonel  Troup's  family.  Burr  made  at 
tempts  to  get  some  other  lawyer  to  take  the  office  and 
allow  him  to  remain  and  perform  the  legal  duties  which 
he  had  done  formerly,  but  he  was  unable  to  do  so. 
There  was  no  prominent  lawyer  in  New  York  City  who 
would  associate  himself  in  business  with  Colonel  Aaron 
Burr.  There  was  no  course  left  him  but  to  give 
up  the  idea  of  having  an  office  and  to  transact  what 
business  he  could  at  his  lodgings,  using  the  reception- 
room,  which  has  been  referred  to,  as  his  office.  For  a 
while,  this  plan  succeeded  moderately  well,  but  his  lodg 
ings  were  so  far  from  the  centre  of  business  that,  one 
by  one,  his  clients  dropped  off  until  only  a  few  re 
mained,  the  principal  one  being  Justus  Dane. 

Justus  Dane  was  wealthy.  He  found  it  impossible 
to  spend  even  the  income  from  his  money.  He  was  a 
great  admirer  of  Colonel  Burr.  Prompted  by  his  re 
gard  for  him,  he  had  ventured,  upon  one  occasion,  to 
offer  Burr  what  was  equivalent  to  an  allowance,  that 
is,  to  give  him,  outright,  from  his  income  enough  for 
his  support.  Although  Burr  was  now  seventy-seven 
years  of  age  and  rapidly  becoming  too  infirm  to  per- 


394  BLENNERHASSETT 

form  enough  legal  work  to  secure  him  a  living,  his 
pride  was  in  no  way  diminished.  In  a  dignified  but  firm 
manner,  he  refused  the  proffered  assistance;  but  it 
was  done  in  so  courteous  and  gentlemanly  a  way  that 
Mr.  Dane  could  not  be  offended  at  the  declination.  In 
fact,  to  show  his  confidence  and  esteem  for  Mr.  Dane, 
he  called  him  into  his  study  and  said : 

"  Mr.  Dane,  I  feel  quite  sure  that  I  shall  not  live  a 
great  many  years  longer.  This,  as  you  no  doubt  un 
derstand,  causes  me  no  misgivings;  but,  although  I 
may  die,  I  am  confident,  and  I  say  it  without  egotism, 
the  name  of  Aaron  Burr  will  not  be  forgotten  by  his 
countrymen  for  many  years.  I  cannot  hope  that  they 
will  remember  me  with  affection  or  regard.  That 
matters  little  to  me.  I  have  made  arrangements  with 
my  friend,  Matthew  Davis,  to  become  my  biographer. 
All  my  private  papers,  manuscripts,  and  books  will  be 
placed  in  his  hands — with  one  exception." 

Going  to  a  cabinet,  he  unlocked  it  and  took  from  a 
drawer  a  sealed  packet.  He  passed  the  same  to  Mr. 
Dane.  The  latter  read  the  superscription :  "  The 
property  of  Aaron  Burr.  Not  to  be  opened  and  the 
contents  made  public  until  fifty  years  have  elapsed 
after  my  death." 

"  My  biographer,"  continued  Burr,  "  is  not  likely  to 
live  fifty  years  longer.  You  are  a  young  man.  In 
testimony  of  my  esteem  for  you  and  confidence  in  you, 
I  am  going  to  place  this  packet  in  your  hands.  Guard 
it  as  you  would  your  own  honor,  for  it  contains  my 
vindication  before  the  people  of  America.  I  have 
taken  an  oath  that  its  contents  shall  not  be  made  public 
for  fifty  years  after  my  death.  Hold  it  in  trust  for 
me;  provide,  in  case  of  your  death,  that  it  shall  go 
into  the  hands  of  some  one  equally  trustworthy  and 
honorable.  When  the  time  has  elapsed,  the  person  in 
whose  possession  it  may  be  will  be  at  full  liberty  to 
open  it  and  disclose  its  contents." 


LAST  DATS  395 

If  Mr.  Dane  had  had  any  feeling  as  a  result  of 
Colonel  Burr's  declination  of  his  kind  offer  of  assist 
ance,  that  feeling  was  removed  by  this  expression  of 
confidence.  He  accepted  the  trust  and  declared  he 
would  be  faithful  to  it. 

Several  day  later,  Burr's  selected  biographer,  Mr. 
Davis,  called  upon  him.  Although  they  were  good 
friends,  they  very  often  fell  into  heated  arguments, 
usually  over  very  small  matters.  This  time,  the  sub 
ject  under  discussion  was  the  proposed  "  Life  of  Burr  " 
to  be  issued  after  his  death  by  Mr.  Davis.  Colonel  Burr 
insisted  that  he  wished  this  memoir  to  be  devoted 
principally  to  his  military  life.  His  former  prominence 
in  political  circles  and  at  the  bar  was  of  secondary 
importance  to  him.  Then  the  question  turned  upon 
the  disposition  of  the  vast  accumulation  of  private  cor 
respondence. 

"  I  think,"  said  Mr.  Davis,  "  that  you  ought  to  de 
stroy  your  private  correspondence  yourself.  I  know 
as  well  as  you  do,  that  you  have  hundreds  of  letters 
from  ladies  that,  out  of  regard  for  the  feelings  of  your 
correspondents,  should  not  be  published.  You  should 
not  throw  upon  me  the  decision  of  this  question  after 
your  death.  You  ought  to  relieve  me  from  it  now  by 
destroying  them." 

"  No !  "  said  Burr,  with  firmness.  "  If  it  were  known 
that  I  had  destroyed  these  letters  and  had  thus  deprived 
myself  of  the  support  that  some  of  them  give  me,  it 
would  let  loose  upon  me  in  my  old  age,  when  I  am 
wholly  unfit  to  engage  in  controversy  of  any  kind, 
further  vituperation  and  abuse.  A  man  with  a  pistol 
or  a  sword  in  his  hand  is  an  object  of  respect,  but  the 
moment  he  is  deprived  of  those  weapons  he  rnay  be 
insulted  or  abused  with  impunity.  So  it  is  with  me. 
I  do  not  propose  to  make  any  aggressive  use  of  these 
letters.  I  have  had  battles  and  contests  enough  in  my 
life  but  I  do  not  choose  to  deprive  myself  of  the 


396  BLENNERHASSETT 

weapons  they  form  in  my  hands.  After  I  am  dead, 
do  with  them  as  you  will.  You  know  that  I  would 
have  no  use  made  of  them  that  would  impair  the  repu 
tation  or  affect  the  good  name  of  any  of  my  correspond 
ents."  Thus  the  matter  was  left. 

A  short  time  after  this,  Burr  committed,  perhaps, 
the  most  ignoble  act  of  his  life.  He  was  deprived  of 
income.  He  was  unable  to  work  for  his  support.  He 
had  had  a  paralytic  shock  and  it  was  inevitable  that 
this  would  soon  be  followed  by  a  second  and  a  third. 
Nevertheless,  the  fact  remains,  that,  at  this  advanced 
age  he  contracted  a  marriage  with  Madame  Betty 
Jumel,  the  widow  of  a  wealthy  French  gentleman. 
His  best  friends  must  admit  that  this  marriage  was  a 
mercenary  one.  Perhaps  Burr  deemed  it  excusable — 
for  he  must  live — and,  as  the  widow  Jumel  was  willing 
to  marry  him,  that  may  be  accepted  as  his  justification. 
But  his  wife  was  averse  to  the  use  of  her  money  for 
speculative  purposes  and  the  union  was  soon  dissolved 
by  mutual  consent.  Burr  returned  to  his  humble 
lodgings  once  more  while  Madame  Jumel-Burr  re 
mained  in  her  mansion. 

Burr's  means  were  soon  exhausted  and  he  was 
obliged  to  give  up  the  comfortable  sitting-room  and  the 
study  in  which  he  had  passed  so  many  pleasant  years. 
From  the  sale  of  his  effects,  he  realized  a  small  sum 
and  then  sought  other  lodgings.  By  chance,  or,  if  we 
may  call  it  so,  the  decree  of  Fate,  the  house  at  which  he 
first  applied  was  kept  by  the  daughter  of  a  British 
officer  for  whom  Colonel  Burr,  during  the  Revolu 
tionary  War,  had  performed  a  most  humane  service. 
The  daughter  took  him  in  and  gave  him  a  comfortable 
room*  Upon  learning  that  Colonel  Burr  was  an  inmate 
of  the  boarding-house,  the  rest  of  her  boarders  notified 
her  that  if  he  remained  they  would  leave.  The  high- 
spirited  woman  replied  that  they  could  go,  that  Colonel 
Burr  had  been  a  friend  to  her  father  when  he  was  in 


LAST  DATS  397 

distress  and  she  proposed  to  be  a  friend  to  Colonel  Burr 
now  that  he  was  in  distress,  even  if  every  one  of  them 
left.  None  went. 

While  at  this  lady's  house,  he  had  a  second  shock  and 
came  near  death;  but,  under  the  kind  ministrations 
and  careful  nursing  of  his  faithful  friend,  he  partially 
recovered.  But  now  a  new  difficulty  presented  itself 
to  him.  The  owner  of  the  house  occupied  by  his  friend 
had  sold  it.  The  new  owner  proposed  to  tear  it  down 
and  erect  upon  the  land  a  building  for  office  purposes. 
The  lady  decided  that  she  would  not  again  engage 
in  the  business  and  Burr  found  himself  once  more 
obliged  to  look  for  shelter — he  knew  not  where.  Dur 
ing  the  last  few  years,  the  hand  of  death  had  made 
great  havoc  among  his  friends.  Luther  Martin  had 
passed  away  years  before;  so  had  his  true  and  loyal 
friend,  Van  Ness;  so,  also,  had  Doctor  Hosack.  Of 
all  who  had  met  in  the  pleasant  little  sitting-room  only 
Matthew  Davis  remained  and  he  was  not  in  a  position 
to  receive  Burr  and  give  him  the  care  and  attention 
that  he  needed.  But  there  was  a  frierid  who  now  felt 
it  was  time  for  him  to  speak  again,  and  this  time  he 
did  not  speak  in  vain.  Justus  Dane  called  upon  Colonel 
Burr  and  told  him  that  he  had  secured  pleasant  lodg 
ings  for  him  in  the  house  of  a  certain  lady  who  resided 
at  Port  Richmond,  on  Staten  Island.  He  did  not  at 
tempt  to  argue  the  question;  he  simply  said  he  had 
made  the  arrangements  and  Burr  offered  no  objection. 
The  Colonel  had  now  passed  his  eightieth  birthday  and 
awaited  the  third  and  fatal  shock.  He  was  unable  to 
enter  a  carriage  and  so  was  carried  upon  a  litter  to  a 
boat  and  thus  conveyed  to  his  new  lodgings. 

When  he  arrived,  he  was  taken  at  once  to  his  room  by 
his  attendants.  He  did  not  know  the  name  of  the  lady 
with  whom  he  lodged.  Justus  Dane  provided  a  serv 
ant  to  wait  upon  and  watch  with  him.  After  he  had 
been  located  in  his  new  quarters  a  few  days,  a  clergy- 


398  BLENNERHASSETT 

man  of  the  village,  hearing  of  his  condition,  called 
upon  him  to  offer  him  spiritual  consolation.  His  first 
question  was,  "  What  are  your  feelings  on  the  subject 
of  religion?  "  To  this,  Burr  replied,  simply,  "  On  that 
subject  I  am  coy."  The  conversation  was  abruptly 
terminated  and  the  clergyman  took  his  departure. 

But  a  startling  discovery  and  one  entirely  unexpected 
was  to  be  made  by  Burr.  He  had  been  in  the  house 
fully  a  week  before  he  was  visited  by  his  landlady. 
This  visit  would  not,  probably,  have  been  made  then 
but  for  the  fact  that  his  servant  had  gone  to  New  York 
for  some  articles  that  he  desired.  Needing  some  assist 
ance,  he  pounded  upon  the  floor  with  his  cane  and  his 
summons  was  answered  by  the  lady  of  the  house.  As 
she  entered  the  room,  Burr  looked  up  and  at  once 
recognized  her.  Her  name  fell  from  his  lips — "  Kate !  " 

'''  Yes,  Kate,"  said  the  woman. 

"  I  forgot,"  said  Burr,  "  excuse  my  familiarity.  I 
should  have  said,  I  presume,  Mrs.  Clarke." 

"  No,"  answered  the  woman,  "  I  am  not  Mrs.  Clarke. 
You  probably  do  not  know  what  I  told  Frederic  the 
day  I  parted  from  him  at  Blennerhassett  Island.  I 
have  kept  my  word.  I  told  Frederic  Clarke  that  I 
would  never  marry  him  as  long  as  you  lived.  I  have 
known  of  your  being  in  New  York.  I  have  often 
passed  your  office;  I  have  been  by  your  lodgings 
many  times.  I  have  thought  a  dozen  times  that  I  would 
call  upon  you,  but  I  did  not.  By  chance,  when  I  pur 
chased  this  house,  for  it  is  my  own,  bought  with  my 
own  money,  I  happened  to  speak  to  the  owner,  a  Mr. 
Dane,  about  having  the  papers  drawn  up  by  a  lawyer. 
He  said  he  would  attend  to  the  matter;  that  Mr.  Bun- 
transacted  all  his  legal  business.  What  Mr.  Burr?  I 
asked.  He  said,  Colonel  Aaron  Burr.  Then  I  stated 
that  I  knew  you.  I  told  him  how  our  acquaintance 
began  on  that  fatal  morning  on  the  heights  at  Wee- 
hawken;  how  I  had  quarreled  with  my  lover;  how  we 


LAST  DATS  399 

met  at  Blennerhassett  Island  where  the  quarrel  occurred 
that  has  kept  Frederic  and  me  apart  so  many  years." 

"  But  you  love  him,  Kate?  "  asked  Burr. 

"  I  have  always  loved  him  and  I  know  that  he  loves 
me  as  well  as  ever;  but  we  are  both  proud." 

"  You  have  spoken  the  truth,"  said  Burr.  "  I  was 
not  worth  so  much  devotion.  So  far  as  I  was  con 
cerned,  I  would  have  relieved  you  from  your  oath  years 
ago." 

"  But  I  would  not  have  let  you,"  said  Kate.  "  I  did 
not  make  the  promise  to  you.  I  made  it  to  myself  and 
I  should  consider  it  much  meaner  to  break  a  promise 
thus  made,  than  if  I  broke  one  made  to  another." 

"  Good  girl !  "  said  Burr,  and  he  extended  his  hand 
which  she  took.  Then  he  continued :  "I  shall  not 
remain  long  to  stand  as  a  bar  between  you.  My  days 
are  numbered.  I  look  forward  not  with  fear,  but  with 
joy,  to  meeting  once  more  my  Theodosia  and  her 
mother,  my  little  grandson,  and  Theodosia's  husband, 
and  my  own  dear  father  and  mother,  the  loss  of  whose 
protecting  care  and  advice  has  cost  me  so  much  trouble 
and  misery  and  suffering  in  this  world." 

During  that  summer,  Kate  Embleton's  attentions 
to  her  foster-father  were  unceasing.  Justus  Dane's 
wealth  was  placed  at  her  disposal.  Everything  that 
could  add  to  Burr's  comfort  was  secured.  On  the  four 
teenth  of  September,  1836,  the  end  came  suddenly. 

Two  devoted  friends  knelt  at  his  bedside.  One  was 
Kate,  who  had  been  faithful  to  him  in  word  and  deed 
since  that  day  at  Weehawken;  the  other,  Justus  Dane. 
Burr  seemed  to  feel  that  his  last  moments  had  come. 
He  slowly  raised  his  right  hand  and,  with  trembling 
fingers,  removed  his  spectacles.  Then  he  said,  in  a 
feeble  voice,  "  Kate."  This  was  understood  to  mean 
that  he  wished  her  to  keep  them  as  a  memento.  As 
she  gently  took  them  from  him,  he  turned  those  wonder 
ful  eyes,  which  even  the  near  approach  of  death  could 


4oo  BLENNERHASSETT 

not  dim,  towards  her  with  a  grateful  look  in  them. 
Then  he  closed  them  forever.  But  still  he  breathed. 
The  anxious  watchers  waited  for  the  breath  which  was 
to  be  the  last.  Suddenly,  a  look  of  ineffable  sweetness 
stole  over  his  face  and  a  whispered  word  came  from 
his  lips.  Both  heard  it  distinctly ;  it  was  his  daughter's 
name — "  Theodosia !  "  Then,  he  half  raised  his  hands 
from  the  bed  as  if  to  extend  them  in  greeting.  They 
fell  back  like  lumps  of  lead;  then,  a  gray  pallor  settled 
upon  his  face,  soon  followed  by  that  dreadful  pre 
monitory  sound  that  so  closely  precedes  the  end. 

The  soul  of  Aaron  Burr  had  passed  on  to  the  Un 
known.  The  form  that  it  had  animated  and  the  brain 
which  it  had  inspired  lay  cold  and  still  upon  the  little 
cot. 

The  body  was  attired  in  a  new  suit  which  Mr.  Dane's 
thoughtfulness  had  provided.  A  few  hours  later,  the 
coffin  stood  in  Kate's  parlor.  She  looked  about  the 
room  as  though  in  search  of  something.  "  What  do 
you  miss?  "  inquired  Mr.  Dane.  "  Have  we  forgotten 
something?  " 

Kate  did  not  answer  for  a  moment.  "  I  hope  and 
pray,"  said  she,  "  that  father  and  daughter  will  meet 
and  be  reunited  above;  but,  yet,  it  does  not  seem  right 
that  he  should  be  here  and  her  portrait  so  far  away." 

Then  a  picture  was  taken  down  and,  in  a  short  time, 
the  portrait  of  the  dead  Theodosia  was  hung  in  its 
place  and  looked  down  upon  the  face  of  her  father  in 
the  coffin  beneath. 


CHAPTER  XXXV 

"  THE  PATHS  OF  GLORY  " 

DEATH  is  rarely  a  welcome  visitor,  come  when 
he  may  or  in  whatever  guise.  To  some, 
borne  down  by  physical  pain,  shame,  or  re 
morse,  dissolution  may  furnish  a  welcome  release  from 
present  suffering;  but,  such  a  death  is  not  the  pre 
destined  nor  logical  conclusion  of  a  life,  especially  if 
the  hand  of  the  sufferer  causes  the  illogical  separation. 

Who  can  look  upon  the  still  beautiful,  waxen-like 
face  of  a  dead  child  without  a  feeling  of  genuine 
sympathy  for  the  bereaved  mother  and  sorrowing 
father?  Sad  it  is  when  youth,  fired  with  emulation 
and  looking  forward  with  feelings  of  ambition  and 
hope  to  the  future,  is  stricken  down  at  the  threshold  of 
an  honorable  career.  Sadder  still,  is  it,  when  youth, 
having  completed  what  is  known  as  education,  falls  by 
the  roadside  before  the  tutored  mind  and  trained  hand 
have  had  an  opportunity  to  grasp  the  realities  of  life. 
Is  it  not  pitiful  to  look  upon  the  face  of  a  young  mother 
sleeping  her  last  sleep,  and  more  pitiful  still  when  we 
regard  her  companion  whose  home  has  lost  its  charm, 
its  solace,  and  its  hope?  With  what  feelings  of  grief 
do  we  regard  the  strong  man  cut  down  in  the  prime  of 
life  with  plans  uncompleted,  ambition  and  hope  as  yet 
unrealized.  It  requires  a  strong  mind  to  view  all  this 
and  then,  with  calm  philosophy  or  the  strength  that  re 
ligion  gives,  to  take  up  arms  and  plunge  once  more 
into  the  battle  of  life. 

But  there  is  a  form  in  which  death  comes  that  is  less 
harrowing  It  is  when  we  gaze  for  the  last  time  on 

401 


4o2  BLENNERHASSETT 

the  calm,  untroubled  face  of  an  aged  person.  He  has 
had  his  day.  He  has  fought  the  good  fight.  If  he 
has  been  victorious,  then  the  world  has  nothing  more  to 
give  him  and  it  is  well  that  the  end  has  come.  If  he 
has  been  vanquished,  then  the  world  has  nothing  to 
give  him  and  it  is  well  that  the  unsuccessful  strife  has 
closed. 

Thoughts  like  these  ran  through  Kate  Embleton's 
mind  as  she  stood 'beside  the  dead  man  in  her  little 
parlor.  A  solitary  candle  still  burned  upon  the  mantle- 
piece  and  threw  a  fitful  glimmer  on  the  face  of  the 
daughter  above  and  that  of  the  father  beneath.  On  the 
face  of  the  dead  man  there  was  a  look  of  supreme  peace 
and  contentment. 

Kate  gazed  upon  the  man  she  had  first  seen  thirty- 
two  years  before  when  she  was  a  young  girl  of  seven 
teen.  As  she  stood  there,  she  thought  of  the  many 
years  that  she  might  have  passed  in  happiness  if  she  had 
not  met  him.  No  doubt,  instead  of  being  alone  in  the 
world  as  she  was  to-night,  the  present  time  would  have 
found  her  a  happy  wife  and  mother.,  Then,  as  she  re 
called  the  three  interviews  that  she  had  had  with  her 
lover,  all  her  old  pride  arose  and  she  said  to  herself, 
"  I  am  not  sorry  that  I  met  him." 

As  she  said  this,  she  bowed  her  head  and  the  tears 
trickled  through  her  fingers.  Then  a  slight  sound 
caught  her  ear.  Soneone  else  must  be  in  the  room; 
someone  stood  beside  her.  Who  could  it  be?  She 
could  not  divine.  Perhaps  it  was  Mr.  Dane.  It  was 
some  moments  before  she  summoned  courage  to  look 
up  and  ascertain  who  the  newcomer  was.  When  she 
did  so,  she  started  back,  astonished.  Yes,  there  he 
was — Frederic  Clarke,  her  old  lover,  perhaps  her  lover 
still.  He  was  handsomer  than  ever,  although  his  hair 
was  silvered. 

"  Kate !  "  he  cried,  "  now  that  he  is  dead  is  there  any 
further  bar  between  us  ?  " 


"THE  PATHS  OF  GLORT'      403 

Kate  did  not  answer.  Then  Frederic  spoke  again. 
"  I  see.  The  simple  fact  of  his  death  is  not  sufficient. 
I  must  own  that  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  I  have 
been  in  the  wrong.  I  am  willing  to  do  so.  I  have 
thought  it  all  over.  A  hundred  times  I  have  decided 
to  come  to  you  and  tell  you  so ;  but  how  could  I,  when 
the  oath  that  you  took  that  day  was  ringing  in  my  ears  ? 
Now  that  I  own  that  I  was  wrong,  and  now  that  he  is 
dead,  will  you  forgive  me,  Kate,  and  be  my  wife?  " 

They  stood  hand  in  hand,  their  hearts  at  last  made 
one  beside  the  body  of  the  man  who  had  been  the  cause 
of  their  separation;  and  in  the  presence  of  death  their 
long  wait  was  ended. 

Word  had  been  sent  to  Madame  Jumel-Burr,  but  she 
had  signified  no  intention  of  being  present  at  the  funeral. 
A  small  company  of  friends  who  were  living  in  the 
vicinity,  however,  found  their  way  to  Port  Richmond 
and  followed  the  remains  to  Princeton  where  they  were 
laid  at  the  feet  of  his  father  and  mother.  If  the  decree 
of  Fate  had  been  that  that  father  and  mother  should 
have  lived  to  guide  the  feet  of  their  little  boy,  what  a 
different  history  might  have  been  written! 

About  a  fortnight  afterwards,  Frederic  and  Kate 
were  married.  He  had  sought  out  the  aged  clergyman 
who  had  joined  Burr  in  wedlock  to  Mrs.  Prevost  and, 
later,  strangely  enough,  to  Madame  Jumel.  Frederic 
had  some  good  paying  property  in  the  West,  but  Kate 
did  not  care  to  leave  her  old  surroundings  for  a  time, 
at  least,  so  it  was  decided  to  remain  at  Port  Richmond. 

When  Frederic  was  away  from  home  she  would  often 
steal  quietly  up-stairs  and  sit  down  beside  the  little  cot 
in  what  she  and  her  husband  called  "  Burr's  Room." 
Theodosia's  portrait  had  been  restored  to  its  former 
position  and  as  she  sat  and  gazed  at  it  the  almost  tragic 
scenes  of  her  fitful  life  passed  before  her  eyes  and  she 
would  close  them  in  vain  attempts  to  shut  out  the  re 
gretted  pictures.  Then,  she  would  start  suddenly  to 


404  BLENNERHASSETT 

her  feet.  Surely  her  foster-father  had  called  her — 
"  Kate!  "  Then,  she  could  endure  it  no  longer.  She 
would  quickly  leave  the  room  and  by  close  attention  to 
her  housekeeping  duties  seek  forgetfulness  of  the  past. 

Seven  years  had  passed  away,  that  magic  scope  of 
time  in  which  it  is  said  both  man  and  woman  change. 
From  the  first,  as  was  natural,  the  love  entertained  by 
Frederic  and  Kate  for  each  other  was  more  Platonic 
than  passionate;  they  loved  each  other's  society,  and 
time  does  not  change  this  kind  of  love.  As  an  English 
philosopher  has  remarked :  "  No  two  persons  should  get 
married  who  would  not  have  been  good  friends  if  they 
had  remained  single." 

Frederic  still  kept  up  his  ardent  interest  in  politics. 
History  and  biography  were  his  favorite  reading  and 
what  he  read  his  wife  read  also.  They  read  aloud  to 
each  other  and  discussed  the  questions  of  the  day,  to 
gether,  and  with  intimate  friends. 

It  was  the  eleventh  of  July.  Forty  years  had  passed 
since  Burr's  hand  had  fired  the  fatal  shot.  Frederic 
was  sixty-one  years  of  age  and  Kate  fifty-seven.  The 
morning  was  beautiful.  A  heavy  shower  the  night  be 
fore  had  freshly  painted  the  browned  turf  with  vivid 
green  and  the  blue  river  smiled  and  sparkled  like  the 
eyes  of  a  laughing  child.  "  We  will  have  an  outing 
on  the  river  to-day,  Kate,"  said  Frederic,  and  she  fol 
lowed  his  lead  without  a  word.  She  had  read  his  mind 
and  did  not  oppose  the  contemplated  trip. 

They  sat  side  by  side  on  what  seemed  to  be  the  same 
grassy  mound.  The  old  tree  that  stood  behind  it  was 
gone;  but  one,  of  lesser  girth,  had  usurped  its  place. 
Thus  it  is  ever :  death  and  the  living,  life  and  the  dying. 
The  grass  and  the  trees  looked  as  of  old.  Could  it  be 
possible  that  the  leaves  had  withered  and  died,  and, 
forty  times  in  succession,  had  come  forth  again  with 
new  life?  What  a  promise  for  the  future! 

It  could  not  be  that  the  same  birds  were  in  the  trees 


"THE  PATHS  OF  GLORT'      405 

but  the  present  choristers  sang  as  merrily  as  did  those 
of  yore. 

Husband  and  wife  stood  beside  the  little  monument 
that  marked  the  place  where  Hamilton  fell.  "  There 
should  be  a  great  monument  erected  here,"  cried  Kate, 
"  on  which  should  be  engraven  the  names  of  Burr, 
Hamilton,  Theodosia  Burr  Alston,  Joseph  Alston,  Har- 
man  and  Margaret  Blennerhassett,  and  James  Wilkin 
son,  for  on  this  spot  began  the  most  memorable  epoch 
in  American  history." 

"  I  should  object  to  only  one  of  those  names,"  re 
marked  Frederic. 

"  And  which?  "  queried  Kate. 

"  Wilkinson's,"  said  her  husband.  "  I  rejoice  to 
think  that  the  remains  of  a  man  so  false  to  all  the  laws 
of  decency"  and  honor  do  not  rest  beneath  American 
soil." 

"  We  read  his  memoirs,  you  remember,"  remarked 
Kate. 

"  They  proved  his  guilt,"  cried  Frederic.  "  He  was 
tried  for  complicity  with  Burr,  but,  of  course,  was  ex 
onerated.  To  have  convicted  him  would  have  im 
pugned  the  honor  of  Burr's  enemies  and  would  have 
been  a  quasi  vindication  of  our  friend." 

As  her  husband  uttered  the  last  two  words,  Kate 
gave  him  a  grateful  look;  there  was  no  sting  left  now. 
They  would  end  their  lives  in  sublime  peace.  Frederic 
resumed  the  subject :  "  What  a  fiasco  Wilkinson  made 
in  the  War  of  1812.  He  quarreled  with  General  Wade 
Hampton,  and  the  finest  army  that  the  United  States 
had  ever  collected  retreated  without  striking  a  blow, 
shorn  of  its  glory  by  the  incompetency  of  its  vain 
glorious  and  jealous  leader." 

"  But  he  suffered  for  it,"  said  Kate;  "  he  died  in 
exile." 

"  Yes,"  cried  Frederic,  "  driven  from  his  native  land 
by  the  force  of  popular  opinion,  the  irony  of  Fate  landed 


406  BLENNERHASSETT 

him  in  Mexico — that  city  on  whose  palaces  he  had  de 
clared,  he  would,  with  Burr's  aid,  plant  the  flag  of 
freedom.  Burr  went  into  exile,  but  he  came  back  like 
a  man,  met  his  enemies,  and  is  buried  in  his  native  soil. 
But  Wilkinson  never  dared  to  face  again  the  honest  in 
dignation  of  his  countrymen." 

"  I  don't  know  so  much  about  the  Blennerhassetts," 
remarked  Frederic,  musingly.  "  That  day — "  then  he 
stopped  suddenly. 

"  I  knew  them  both  intimately,"  said  Kate.  "  I  went 
to  Frankfort  with  Mrs.  Blennerhassett  and  the  children 
after  that  dreadful  fire  and  she  insisted  that  I  should 
stay  with  her.  I  lived  with  them  a  few  months  on  their 
cotton  plantation  in  Mississippi.  But  I  wearied  of  the 
dull,  tedious  life.  The  evenings  were  spent  in  regrets, 
reproaches,  and  recriminations.  I  managed  to  reach 
Philadelphia.  A  good  old  Quaker  lady  loaned  me 
some  money  with  which  to  manufacture  artificial 
flowers.  You  know  the  war  between  England  and 
France  stopped  the  importation  of  French  finery  and 
our  ladies  were  inconsolable.  I  made  money  from  the 
first." 

"  I  know,"  said  Frederic,  with  a  laugh,  "  that  you 
owned  a  house  and  had  a  little  fortune  in  the  bank  when 
I  married  you,  all  made  with  these  little  fingers,"  he 
added  as  he  took  her  hand  and  pressed  it,  lover-like,  to 
his  lips.  He  went  on :  "  Blennerhassett  always  said 
that  Burr  deceived  him  about  his  plans  and  made  him  a 
victim.  You  remember  Wirt's  speech  ?  " 
'  That's  not  so!  "  cried  Kate  earnestly. 

Her  husband  interrupted  her :  "  Blennerhassett  said 
that  he  had  no  idea  or  suspicion  of  Burr's  intentions 
with  regard  to  Texas  and  Mexico.  He  stoutly  main 
tained,  and  most  people  believed,  that  he  went  into  the 
scheme  only  to  make  money  by  the  purchase,  settle 
ment,  and  sale  of  lands." 

"  That  is  not  true,"  again  cried  Kate.     "  I  had  the 


"THE  PATHS  OF  GLORT'      407 

real  facts  from  Mrs.  Blennerhassett's  own  lips.  Colonel 
Burr  may  not  have  disclosed  all  of  his  plans  to  Mr. 
Blennerhassett  but  I  know  that  he  kept  nothing  from 
his  wife,  and  I  further  know  that  she  told  her  husband 
everything.  Let  us  sit  down,  Frederic,  I  am  tired," 
and  they  seated  themselves  once  more  on  the  little 
grassy  mound.  She  continued :  "  Mrs.  Blennerhassett 
was  an  ambitious  woman.  She  thought  her  husband, 
by  his  education,  was  fitted  to  shine  in  and  adorn  the 
highest  circles.  Her  dream  was  that  he  should  be  a 
member  of  some  regal  court  where  he  would  be  looked 
up  to  as  a  man  of  eminence.  She  entered  heartily  into 
Burr's  schemes  and,  like  him,  she  looked  forward  to  the 
day  when,  possessed  of  wealth  and  power  in  the  South 
western  country,  her  dreams  in  regard  to  her  husband 
should  be  realized." 

"  How  different  were  the  decrees  of  Fate  from  her 
ambitious  hopes,"  said  Frederic.  "  Theirs  is  a  sad 
story,  is  it  not,  Kate  ?  " 

"  I  have  gone  over  it  so  many  times  in  my  own 
mind,"  said  she,  "  that  the  whole  seems  like  a  lesson 
that  I  learned  in  school  and  have  not  forgotten.  The 
Blennerhassetts  were  in  Mississippi  while  Burr  was  in 
Europe.  Mr.  Blennerhassett  wrote  a  letter  to  Mr. 
Alston  threatening  to  publish  a  book  which  would  in 
jure  him  politically  and  socially  unless  he  repaid,  with 
interest,  all  the  money  he  had  loaned  Colonel  Burr." 

"Blackmail?" 

"  Very  near  it,"  assented  Kate.  "  Then  they  went 
to  New  York  where  they  met  Burr  and  demanded 
money  from  him.  But  he  had  none  and  was  harassed 
with  old  debts.  Mrs.  Blennerhassett  had  some  bank- 
stock  which  yielded  her  a  small  income.  She  went  to 
Canada  where,  out  of  society,  she  could  live  econom 
ically  and  bring  up  her  children.  Her  husband  re 
turned  to  Ireland  to  prosecute  an  old  claim.  He  was 
beaten  in  court.  He  then  tried  to  secure  a  position  in 


4o8  BLENNERHASSETT 

the  Irish  civil  service  but  no  person  of  influence  would 
assist  him.  Next,  he  endeavored  to  convince  a  wealthy 
relative  that  he  was  the  proper  person  to  look  after  his 
estates  but  he  received  no  reply  to  his  letters.  His 
final  honest  attempt  to  gain  a  livelihood  was  the  start 
ing  of  a  private  school  for  boys,  but  he  got  no  encour 
agement." 

"  He  deserves  pity  for  his  misfortunes,"  remarked 
Frederic. 

"  He  became  desperate,"  Kate  continued.  "  He 
went  to  London  and  was  connected  with  a  questionable 
scheme  to  extort  money  from  a  member  of  the  nobility. 
This  completed  his  downfall.  In  his  disgrace,  an  aged 
sister,  having  a  small  income,  offered  him  a  home  on  the 
Island  of  Guernsey.  There  he  died  and  is  buried." 

"  And  his  wife's  fate?  "  asked  Frederic. 

"  Was  even  sadder  than  his  own,"  Kate  replied. 
"  Her  money  exhausted,  she  joined  her  husband  in 
Ireland.  She  wrote  poetry  but  it  did  not  sell.  To 
add  to  her  misery,  one  of  her  sons  became  a  confirmed 
drunkard  and  another  had  begun  to  tread  the  same 
downward  path.  She  returned  to  America  after  her 
husband's  death  and  presented  a  claim  to  Congress.  It 
was  not  for  money  loaned  to  Colonel  Burr,  but  for  the 
unwarrantable  destruction  of  her  house  on  Blenner- 
hassett  Island.  I  think  in  time  she  would  have  ob 
tained  some  money,  but  she  fell  sick.  She  was  taken 
care  of  by  the  Sisters  of  a  religious  order.  While  you 
were  out  West,  disposing  of  your  property,  I  learned  of 
her  presence  in  New  York  and  went  to  see  her.  She 
was  overjoyed  at  my  visit  and  what  I  have  told  you 
to-day  I  learned  from  her  on  her  death-bed." 

Frederic  sprang  to  his  feet :  "  It  is  high  noon  and 
I  am  getting  hungry.  I'll  go  down  to  the  boat  and  get 
the  basket  and  we  will  eat  our  dinner  here." 

While  he  was  gone,  Kate  walked  out  to  the  end  of 
the  rocky  promontory  that  extended  into  the  river.  It 


"THE  PATHS  OF  GLORT'      409 

was  the  same  place  where  she  had  stood  on  the  morning 
when  Frederic  first  spoke  of  love  to  her.  She  looked 
across  the  river.  What  a  change  met  her  eye !  Where, 
forty  years  ago,  had  stood  farms  and  farm-houses  could 
now  be  seen  dwelling-houses,  warehouses,  and  shops 
and  stores  built  closely  together,  while  broad  streets  and 
avenues  had  taken  the  place  of  rough  country  roads. 
She  heard  her  husband's  voice  calling,  "  Kate ! 
Come,  Kate !  Dinner's  ready,"  and  she  hastily  rejoined 
him. 

The  simple  repast  was  soon  disposed  of.  The  empty 
space  in  the  basket  was  soon  filled  with  small  branches 
taken  from  the  trees  which  surrounded  the  little  glade. 
Then  Frederic  took  it  down  to  the  boat.  While  he 
was  gone,  Kate  gathered  a  bunch  of  wild  flowers  and 
was  standing,  holding  them  idly  in  her  hand,  when  her 
husband  returned. 

The  stem  of  one  of  the  wild  flowers  which  she  had 
tried  to  pick  was  very  tough  and  it  had  resisted  her 
first  attempt.  She  dropped  on  her  knees  and  grasped 
it  close  to  the  earth.  As  she  did  so,  he*-  fingers  came  in 
contact  with  some  hard  substance.  She  picked  it  up 
and  looked  at  it.  It  was  covered  with  mold.  This  she 
brushed  off  and  wiped  the  coin,  for  a  coin  it  proved  to 
be,  with  her  handkerchief.  It  was  a  piece  of  gold! 
Then  the  scene  came  back  to  her  with  redoubled  force. 
When  he  reached  her  side,  she  showed  it  to  her  hus 
band  but  said  nothing.  What  would  he  say?  He, 
in  turn,  said  nothing  but  pressed  her  hand  close  upon 
the  money — Burr's  money — and,  bending  over,  kissed 
her  tenderly  upon  the  forehead.  All  bitterness  had 
vanished — the  reconciliation  was  complete. 

"  You  make  me  think  of  Ophelia  in  the  play,"  he  ex 
claimed. 

"  She  was  thinking  of  one  whom  she  had  loved  and 
lost  and  so  was  I." 

Her  husband  looked  at  her,  inquiringly.     He  had 


4io  BLENNERHASSETT 

started  to  ask  her  what  his  name  was  but  he  saw  she 
was  in  no  mood  for  pleasantry  and  remained  silent. 

"  I  was  thinking  of  poor  Theodosia.  Will  her  real 
fate  ever  be  known  to  the  friends  who  loved  her  so?  " 

"  She  was  drowned  at  sea,  without  a  doubt,"  said 
Frederic. 

"  Yes,  I  suppose  that  was  her  fate.  How  sad,  poor 
girl,  to  lose  her  little  boy  whom  she  idolized  and 
then,  when  on  her  way  to  meet  her  father  who  was  so 
much  more  to  her  than  fathers  usually  are,  to  come  to 
such  an  untimely  end.  Poor  Margaret  Blennerhassett 
lies  in  a  pauper's  grave.  Why  do  we  call  it  by  that 
homely  and  harsh-sounding  name  ?  I  wish  they  would 
do  here  as  in  England — set  apart  a  portion  of  the  bury- 
ing-ground  for  the  poor  and  unfortunate  and  call  it  by 
the  beautiful  name  that  some  Englishman  has  given 
it — God's  Acre.  Theodosia's  husband  never  recovered 
from  the  shock  caused  by  his  wife's  death  and,  four 
years  later,  joined  his  wife  and  child." 

'  They  might  all  be  living  now,"  said  her  husband, 
"  if  it  hadn't  been  for  those  rice  swamps.  Their 
hearth  was  undermined  by  malaria,  that  is  the  reason 
they  were  always  weak  and  sickly.  Our  Newark 
marshes  are  about  as  bad  but  they  are  not  wet  all  the 
time  as  rice  swamps  are." 

"  Where  is  General  Hamilton  buried  ?  "  asked  Kate, 
apparently  unmindful  of  what  her  husband  had  been 
saying. 

"  In  Trinity  churchyard,"  replied  Frederic.  "  He. 
wasn't  buried  in  his  native  land,  either." 

"  No;  isn't  it  strange,"  remarked  Kate,  "  that  of  all 
those  whose  names  I  would  have  engraven  on  my  monu 
ment,  only  one  died  and  was  buried  in  his  native  land  ?  " 

"  If  Colonel  Burr  had  died  while  he  was  in  Europe," 
remarked  Frederic,  "  it  would  have  been  stranger  still." 

"  No,  that  could  not  be,"  cried  Kate.  "  It  was  or 
dained  that  the  wayward  son  should  finally  repose  at  the 


"THE  PATHS  OF  GLOW      411 

feet  of  his  learned  father  and  godly  mother,  and  I  thank 
Heaven  that  it  came  to  pass." 

"  Then  you  have  nothing  more  to  ask  for  your 
foster-father's  sake  ?  " 

"  One  thing  more,"  said  Kate.  "  When  I  was  stay 
ing  at  Judge  Van  Ness's  house  he  showed  me  a  sealed 
packet  which  he  said  belonged  to  Colonel  Burr.  He 
told  me  he  knew  its  contents,  but  that  the  Colonel 
would  not  consent  to  their  disclosure  until  fifty  years 
had  elapsed  after  his  death.  Judge  Van  Ness  is  dead 
and  some  one  else  has  the  packet — but  who  ?  " 

"  It  will  make  little  difference  to  us,"  remarked 
Frederic.  "  I  don't  imagine  that  either  you  or  I  will 
live  forty-two  years  longer." 

"  No,"  cried  Kate.  "  I  wish  I  were  but  seventeen 
and  you  but  twenty-one,  for  then  we  could  hope  to 
learn  its  contents.  Oh!  I  wish  I  knew  whether  when 
its  seals  are  broken  it  will  secure  for  my  foster-father  a 
partial  or  complete  vindication.  I  am  weary,  Frederic, 
let  us  row  up  the  river." 

When  they  returned,  the  sun  was  just  sinking  in  the 
West.  Great  banks  of  clouds  which  had  been  thrown 
into  most  fantastic  shapes  filled  the  sky.  There  were 
great  islands  floating  in  the  lofty  azure;  there  were 
hills  and  mountain  peaks;  there  were  huge  castles  with 
battlemented  towers  and  donjon  keeps. 

Frederic  rested  upon  his  oars  and  the  boat  drifted 
slowly  towards  the  sea.  A  flood  of  rosy  light  irradi 
ated  the  islands,  the  hills  and  mountains,  and  the  old 
feudal  castles.  Then  the  hue  changed  to  a  deep  red 
interspersed  with  bars  of  gold  and  orange.  The  sun 
sank  beneath  the  horizon.  A  shadow  seemed  to  fall, 
and  the  bright  tints  changed  to  graver  blues  and  greens. 
Still  lower  sank  the  sun,  and  the  sombre  shades  melted 
into  vast  piles  of  gray.  The  sun  sank  lower  still,  and, 
piled  high  on  the  western  horizon  were  great  masses 
shading  from  light  to  darkest  brown. 


4 1 2  BLENNERHASSETT 

"  Night  is  coming  on  and  it  is  getting  cool,  Kate,  we 
must  get  home,"  said  Frederic,  as  he  caught  up  the 
oars  and  sent  the  boat  forward,  swiftly,  with  sturdy 
strokes. 

Kate  sat  in  the  stern  looking  dreamily  upward  and 
holding  the  little  bunch  of  wild  flowers  idly  in  her 
hands.  Then  she  murmured  something  in  a  low  voice. 

"  What  were  you  saying,  Kate?  "  asked  her  husband. 

In  a  more  distinct  tone,  she  repeated  pensively : 

"  The  boast  of  heraldry,  the  pomp  of  power, 

And  all  that  beauty,  all  that  wealth  e'er  gave 
Await,  alike,  the  inevitable  hour, — 
The  paths  of  glory  lead  but  to  the  grave." 


£pUo0uc . , . .  flDpsterfes  TUtweilefc 


CHAPTER  XXXVI 

"  IN   THE   NAME  OF  AARON   BURR  !  " 

TUESDAY,  June  i,  1886. 

Yesterday  I  completed  my  book  with  a  quotation  from  Gray's 
"  Elegy  in  a  Country  Churchyard."  That  poem  has  always 
seemed  to  me  to  establish  a  closer  connection  between  the  mun 
dane  and  the  unseen  than  any  other  similar  work.  It  is  replete 
with  beauties  and  truths.  It  is  an  epitome  of  human  life,  here, 
and  the  spiritual  life  hereafter.  To  me,  an  author,  the  comple 
tion  of  a  book  is  of  enough  importance  to  warrant  a  record 
being  made  of  the  fact  in  this — my  journal  of  passing  events. 

Whether  a  man's  memory  be  good  or  poor,  I  think  the  keep 
ing  of  a  diary  is  an  advantageous  mental  exercise.  Even  the 
best  minds  are  apt  to  forget  apparently  inconsequential  dates 
and  incidents  which  may  afterwards  become  of  supreme  im 
portance.  But  in  such  writing,  I  do  not  believe  in  being  held 
down  by  any  arbitrary  standard.  When  one  has  said  what  he 
wishes  to  say,  he  should  not  try  to  say  any  more.  Aaron  Burr's 
journal  of  his  exile  in  Europe  is  a  model  in  diary  construction. 
All  should  read  it.  I  do  not  believe  in  the  slavish  habit  of 
opening  the  entry  for  each  day  with  a  description  of  the  weather 
and  the  height  attained  by  the  thermometer.  Let  meteorologists 
attend  to  that  business.  I  remember  reading  an  old  diary  which 
I  found  in  an  obscure  corner  of  a  garret.  It  was  kept  by  a 
young  man  who  had  visited  a  physician  and  had  some  medicine 
prescribed  for  him  in  the  shape  of  pills.  For  a  period  of  more 
than  three  months,  the  entries  in  his  diary  closed  uniformly 
with  the  words  "  Took  a  pill  and  went  to  bed." 

413 


4i4  BLENNERHASSETT 

WEDNESDAY,  June  2. 

I  wrote  yesterday  that  my  book  was  completed,  but  that  self- 
congratulation  was  somewhat  premature.  The  book,  it  is  true, 
is  completed,  but  it  is  not  finished.  I  knew  that  Col.  Burr  gave 
to  Judge  Van  Ness  a  sealed  packet,  with  the  written  injunction 
that  it  was  not  to  be  opened  or  its  contents  made  public  until 
fifty  years  had  elapsed  after  his  death.  From  the  descendants 
of  Judge  Van  Ness,  I  have  learned  that  the  packet  was  returned 
to  Col.  Burr.  It  was  not  discovered  among  his  papers  at  his 
death  and  must  have  been  given  by  him  to  someone  else ;  but  to 
whom?  Then,  again,  the  absolute  facts  concerning  the  death  of 
Theodosia  Burr  Alston  are  unknown.  The  generally  accepted 
opinion  is  that  the  vessel  upon  which  she  sailed  from  Charles 
ton  foundered  at  sea  and  she  was  drowned.  There  have  been 
rumors  that  the  vessel  was  captured  by  pirates  and  she  was 
made  to  walk  the  plank.  Others  have  believed  that  she  was 
made  captive  by  the  pirates  and  experienced  an  even  worse  fate 
than  death.  Shall  I  allow  myself  to  be  tormented  with  specula 
tions  about  these  matters,  or,  become  philosophical,  and,  ad 
mitting  them  to  be  unknowable,  worry  no  more  about  them? 
This  afternoon,  I  became  of  a  practical  turn  of  mind.  I  visited 
all  the  principal  book-stores  to  see  if  any  new  works  had  been 
published  which  could  throw  any  light  upon  these  subjects. 
Result,  nil. 

THURSDAY,  June  3. 

I  devoted  the  entire  day  to  groping  in  musty  cellars  and  dusty 
book  bins  for  any  treasure  in  the  shape  of  a  second-hand  book, 
from  which  I  might,  possibly,  glean  the  information  of  which 
I  was  in  search.  I  found  nothing  new,  but  I  did  find  some 
books  and  pamphlets  which  corroborated  certain  points  which  I 
had  considered  to  be  true.  I  was  glad,  of  course,  to  know  that 
my  statements  could  be  re-enforced  by  additional  authorities, 
but  I  found  nothing  bearing  directly  upon  the  two  points  which 
I  have  mentioned.  The  twin  secrets  seemed  to  be  impenetrable. 
After  supper,  I  came  to  the  sudden  conclusion  to  visit  New  York. 
There,  I  said  to  myself,  I  may  possibly  find  that  of  which  I  am 
in  search.  It  will  do  no  harm  to  try. 

SATURDAY,  June  5. 

Spent  yesterday  and  to-day  in  the  new  and  second-hand  book 
stores  in  a  vain  quest  for  information  which,  evidently,  is  not  in 


IN  THE  NAME  OF  AARON  BURR  415 

print.     As   I   had  done  in  Boston,   I   found  some  valuable  old 
pamphlets  and  one  or  two  rare  books. 

MONDAY,  June  7. 

Yesterday  I  went  to  church.  I  do  not  remember  the  text, 
but  the  gist  of  the  sermon  was — there  were  some  things  that 
it  were  useless  for  man  to  try  to  accomplish  unaided ;  that  they 
require  the  infinite  power  of  the  Almighty  to  solve  or  bring 
them  to  perfection.  This  sermon  threw  me  into  a  line  of 
thought  which  led  me  to  determine  that  but  one  more  day 
should  be  spent  in  what  seemed  an  apparently  useless  under 
taking. 

TUESDAY,  June  8. 

Fortune  smiled  upon  me  yesterday.  In  one  of  the  second 
hand  book-stores,  I  found  the  proprietor  most  genial  and  obli 
ging.  He  inquired  the  object  of  my  search  and  I  told  him  I 
was  looking  for  information  concerning  Aaron  Burr  and  his 
daughter  Theodosia,  Alexander  Hamilton,  James  Wilkinson, 
Harman  Blennerhassett  and  his  wife,  Margaret.  Mr.  Cleaves 
informed  me  that  there  was  a  gentleman  living  in  New  York 
who,  for  many  years  past,  had  given  the  dealers  carte  Blanche 
to  send  him  any  book  or  pamphlet  relating  to  those  individuals 
that  came  into  their  possession,  allowing  them  to  fix  their  own 
price.  Mr.  Cleaves  said  he  had  a  fine  library  but,  so  far  as  he 
knew,  had  never  written  a  book.  He  offered  to  give  me  a 
letter  of  introduction,  which  I  gladly  accepted.  It  was  directed 
to  Col.  Justus  Dane,  the  address  being  that  of  a  Fifth  Avenue 
mansion.  Col.  Dane  was  just  going  out  for  a  drive,  but  made 
an  appointment  with  me  for  last  evening  at  seven  o'clock. 

The  conversation  was  largely  personal — that  is,  Col.  Dane 
told  me  about  himself.  With  his  permission,  I  made  copious 
entries  in  shorthand  in  my  note-book,  a  few  of  which  I  tran 
scribe  here.  He  has  been  paralyzed  in  his  lower  limbs  for  the 
past  six  years  and  his  only  means  of  locomotion  is  a  roller 
chair.  He  was  born  on  July  n,  1804,  the  day  upon  which  the 
duel  between  Aaron  Burr  and  Alexander  Hamilton  took  place. 
By  the  death  of  his  father,  who  was  a  ship  merchant,  he  in 
herited  great  wealth.  His  property  consisted  principally  o£  real 
estate  and  the  care  of  it  was  a  great  annoyance  to  him.  When 
about  twenty-one  years  of  age,  he  became  acquainted  with  Aaron 


416 


BLENNERHASSE  TT 


Burr,  whom  he  had  been  advised  to  consult  in  relation  to  the 
conveyancing  and  leasing  of  some  real  estate  property.  They 
became  intimately  acquainted,  and  Col.  Dane  was  at  Burr's  bed 
side  when  he  died. 

He  called  attention  to  his  library,  which  consisted  princi 
pally  of  works  relating  to  Aaron  Burr  and  those  public  men 
whose  lives  were  contemporaneous.  He  had  a  collection  of 
pictures,  miniatures,  and  mementos  of  Burr  and  his  friends.  He 
told  me  that  he  had  read  all  the  books  and  from  his  notes  had 
written  out  a  number  of  manuscripts  which,  in  reality,  formed 
a  life  of  Aaron  Burr.  He  offered  to  read  the  manuscripts  to 
me,  and  I  have  another  appointment  with  him  for  to-morrow 
evening. 

He  related  a  most  exciting  incident  about  Aaron  Burr.  When 
the  news  came  that  Gen.  Sam  Houston  had  defeated  the 
Mexicans  at  San  Jacinto,  Col.  Dane  went,  as  soon  as  possible, 
to  Port  Richmond  to  inform  Burr  of  the  fact.  Burr  raised 
himself  in  bed  and  fixing  his  marvellous  eyes  on  Col.  Dane, 
cried :  "  I  told  you  so !  My  great  misfortune  has  been  that 
I  have  lived  before  my  time.  The  day  will  yet  come  when  the 
same  party  that  politically  ostracized  me  will  conquer  Mexico 
and  grasp  a  mightier  domain  than  I  ever  contemplated  acquiring 
for  my  empire." 

Col.  Dane  went  as  a  private  during  the  Mexican  War.  I  will 
tell  his  story  in  his  own  words. 

"  When  the  United  States  declared  war  against  Mexico,  I 
enlisted  as  a  private  in  one  of  the  southern  regiments.  I 
could  have  obtained  a  commission  but  I  wished  to  work  my 
way  up.  I  am  at  heart  a  great  coward,  but  I  convinced  myself 
that,  for  the  time  being,  I  was  the  personal  representative  of 
Aaron  Burr;  that  in  me  his  spirit  was  reincarnated,  and  I 
determined  to  do  my  duty  as  he  would  have  done  under  similar 
circumstances.  I  sought  every  opportunity  that  would  bring 
me  into  close  contact  with  the  enemy.  My  companions  told 
me  something  of  which  I  was  not  cognizant  myself,— that 
throughout  the  campaign  I  was  guilty  of  the  most  reckless 
bravery.  It  bore  fruit,  for  before  we  reached  the  city  of 
Mexico  I  had  been  promoted  to  the  position  of  brevet-colonel. 

"  When  we  entered  the  fallen  capital  which  had  once  been  the 
home  of  the  Montezumas,  I  begged  to  be  allowed  to  hoist 
'  Old  Glory  '—the  sign  of  capitulation.  Permission  was  granted 


IN  THE  NAME  OF  AARON  BURR  417 

me,  and  as  the  flag  reached  the  top  of  the  pole,  my  feelings  so 
long  kept  in  suspense  over-mastered  me,  and  I  cried  out  in  a 
loud  voice,  In  the  name  of  Aaron  Burr!  My  brother  officers 
who  surrounded  me,  overheard  and  looked  at  me  in  astonish 
ment,  but  I  made  no  explanation.  I  was  satisfied." 


CHAPTER  XXXVII 

JUSTUS  DANE'S  REMARKABLE   MANUSCRIPTS 

THURSDAY,  June  10. 

I  passed  last  evening  with  Col.  Dane  and  listened  to  the 
reading  of  his  manuscript  entitled  "  Lord  Chesterfield's  Let 
ters."  I  did  not  think  that  I  had  any  right  to  take  notes  from 
his  reading  and  so  refrained.  One  point  that  he  made,  how 
ever,  was  so  novel  that  I  am  going  to  jot  it  down  from 
memory.  He  considered  Colonel  Burr  to  be  an  exemplification 
of  Chesterfieldian  thought  and  action  and  he  advanced  the 
idea  that  Burr,  in  the  education  of,  his  daughter  Theodosia, 
aimed  to  make  her — a  young  gentlewoman — as  near  like  a-  young 
gentleman  as  possible.  In  support  of  this  idea,  he  presented 
incidents  and  arguments  which  were  most  interesting. 

SATURDAY,  June  12. 

Another  delightful  time  last  evening  listening  to  Col.  Dane's 
reading  of  his  manuscript  relating  to  Colonel  Burr's  Military 
Exploits.  Brought  together  in  this  manner,  Burr's  military  life 
assumed  more  the  character  of  a  rounded  career.  Col.  Dane 
dwelt  especially  upon  the  fact  that  in  every  engagement  where 
Burr  was  in  supreme  command,  he  was  victorious,  notwith 
standing  oftentimes  disparity  in  numbers.  On  one  occasion, 
Burr,  with  thirteen  soldiers,  destroyed  a  blockhouse  and  cap 
tured  twenty-eight  British  regulars,  without  losing  a  man.  How 
disgusted  they  must  have  been  when  they  looked  upon  the 
beardless  stripling  and  his  force,  numbering  less  than  half 
their  own. 

TUESDAY,  June  15. 

Burr's  Legal  Life  and  Services  was  the  subject  of  Col. 
Dane's  manuscript  last  evening.  He  referred  to  Burr's  great 
success  as  a  lawyer,  especially  to  his  recognized  ability  in  con 
densing  evidence.  Col.  Dane  thought  that  Burr  made  a  great 

418 


JUSTUS  DANES  MSS.          419 

mistake  in  not  accepting  a  seat  upon  the  bench,  when  it  was 
offered  by  Gov.  George  Clinton.  Clinton  was  a  political  enemy, 
but  he  was  too  honest  a  man  not  to  admit  Burr's  judicial 
qualifications. 

THURSDAY,  June  17. 

Col.  Dane  and  I  celebrated  the  one  hundred  and  eleventh 
anniversary  of  the  Battle  of  Bunker's  Hill  by  considering  his 
manuscript  relating  to  Burr's  Political  Career.  It  contained 
numerous  references  to  Alexander  Hamilton  and  brought  for 
ward  a  great  quantity  of  material  which,  to  my  knowledge, 
had  never  been  presented  in  print.  As  he  finished  reading  it, 
Col.  Dane  said,  proudly,  "  That  manuscript  is  my  chef  d'ceuvre." 

SATURDAY,  June  19. 

Last  evening,  two  manuscripts  kept  our  attention,  and,  in 
order  to  complete  them,  our  sitting  was  prolonged,  at  the 
Colonel's  request,  until  midnight.  I  protested  against  his  thus 
overworking  himself,  but  he  declared  that  he  had  marked  out  a 
plan  of  action  and  he  proposed  to  follow  it,  whatever  the  con 
sequences  might  be.  The  two  manuscripts  were  the  fifth,  relat 
ing  to  his  Married  and  Social  Life,  and  the  sixth  which  had 
the  comprehensive  title  "  His  Friends,  His  Foes,  His  Biograph 
ers  and  Critics." 

In  that  part  of  the  sixth  manuscript  relating  to  Burr's  foes, 
Col.  Dane  devoted  much  space  to  contrasting  the  characters  of 
Burr  and  Hamilton.  When  he  had  finished  reading,  Col.  Dane 
asked,  "  Do  you  think  that  I  have  judged  Hamilton  too  harshly? 
If  so,  listen  to  this  opinion,  written  by  a  man  of  sterling  integ 
rity,  who  had  unexampled  opportunities  to  consider  and  observe 
the  subject  of,  our  discussion." 

I  took  out  my  note-book  and,  pencil  in  hand,  looked  in 
quiringly  toward  him.  He  comprehended  my  meaning  and 
nodded  affirmatively.  I  transcribe  his  words  which  were  uttered 
in  an  impassioned  voice  and,  despite  his  sitting  posture,  were 
accompanied  by  the  most  effective  gestures  used  by  the  ex 
perienced  orator. 

"  The  world  never  presented  such  a  combination  of  great 
ness  and  of  meanness,  of  apparent  courage  and  of  vile  malignity, 
of  high  aspirings  and  of  low  hypocrisy.  Shrewd,  artful,  and 
unscrupulous,  there  were  no  means  he  would  not  employ  to 


420  BLENNERHASSETT 

accomplish  his  ends — no  tool  too  base  to  be  used  when  its 
services  were  needful.  Loose  in  his  own  morals,  he  criticised 
those  of  others  with  a  severity  no  other  antagonist  ever  equaled. 
Slander  was  his  favorite  weapon,  and  no  one  stood  in  his  way 
who  did  not  feel  the  venom  of  his  tongue  and  pen." 

The  Colonel  rested  his  head  upon  his  hand  and  a  look  of 
weariness  passed  over  his  face.  After  a  few  minutes  silence, 
I  inquired:  "What  is  your  opinion  of  Blennerhassett  ?  " 

"  The  whole  truth  about  him  has  never  been  printed,"  said 
the  Colonel.  "  I  think  to  most  persons  the  reasons  for  his 
leaving  England  so  suddenly  are  somewhat  mysterious.  I  have 
discovered  why  he  left  his  native  land  for  America  and  why, 
when  he  returned  home,  he  was  received  with  such  scant 
courtesy  and  lack  of  encouragement  by  his  friends  and  rela 
tives,  but  it  would  do  no  good  to  put  it  in  print  and  I  have 
not  included  it  in  my  manuscript.  I  have,  however,  written  it 
out  at  full  length  in  another  document. 

"  Bear  in  mind  one  thing,"  he  continued,  and,  as  he  spoke, 
he  lifted  his  forefinger  warningly  and  shook  it  at  me,  "  don't 
say  a  single  word  in  your  book  to  encourage  the  belief  that 
Margaret  Blennerhassett  was  anything  but  a  pure  and  honest 
woman  and  devoted  to  her  husband  during  his  waning  fortunes." 

I  assured  him  that  my  opinion  of  Mrs.  Blennerhassett  coin 
cided  with  his  own. 

"  I  do  not  think,"  the  Colonel  continued,  "  that  Harman 
Blennerhassett  or  his  wife  have  been  fortunate  in  their  biog 
raphers.  The  generally  received  impression  is  that  she  died 
in  a  state  of  abject  poverty,  attended  only  by  some  Sisters  of 
Charity  and  that  she  was  buried  in  a  pauper  burying-ground. 
Now,  I  am  not  writing  a  life  of  Harman  Blennerhassett,  or 
that  of  his  wife,  but  if  I  were,  I  should  say  that  these'  state 
ments  were  probably  incorrect." 

I  expressed  a  desire  to  know  the  real  facts  of  the  case. 

"  I  have  from  very  good  authority,"  the  Colonel  said,  "  that 
she  hired  a  house  in  New  York  and  paid  the  rent  for  it  while 
she  was  awaiting  the  action  of  Congress  on  her  claim.  It  was 
there  that  she  sickened  and  died.  Her  two  sons,  Harman  and 
Lewis,  I  am  told,  were  at  her  bedside  when  she  passed  away. 
She  was  buried  in  the  Emmet  family  lot,  Thomas  Addis  Emmet 
being  a  great  friend  of,  the  Blennerhassetts." 

Col.  Dane's  somewhat  mysterious  remarks  in  relation  to  Blen- 


JUSTUS  DANE'S  MSS.         421 

nerhassett's  true  reason  for  leaving  his  native  land  piqued  my 
curiosity;  so  I  again  reverted  to  the  subject. 

"  I  had  always  supposed,"  said  I,  "  that  Blennerhassett  left 
Ireland  because  he  feared  that  if  he  remained,  he  would  become 
involved  in  the  revolutionary  struggle  then  impending." 

"  Not  at  all !  "  said  Col.  Dane,  sententiously. 

"  I  have  so  stated  in  my  book,"  I  added. 

"  Then  you  are  wrong,  totally  wrong,"  he  said,  decidedly. 
"  I  see  that  you  wish  to  know  the  whole  truth.  It  was  told  to 
me  about  a  year  before  he  died,  by  Colonel  Burr,  but  he  exacted 
from  me  a  promise  that  I  would  not  speak  of  it  to  any  one, 
unless  the  disclosure  of  the  truth  was  first  made  by  some  member 
of  the  Blennerhassett  family." 

"  Could  you  not  make  me  a  partner  in  that  promise,"  I  asked, 
realizing  that  I  was  making  a  desperate  move,  which,  if  unsuc 
cessful,  might  impair  my  future  relations  with  Col.  Dane. 

The  Colonel  mused  for  a  moment,  then  he  said :  "  As  you  have 
written  a  book  relating  to  Blennerhassett,  and,  what  most  inter 
ests  and  pleases  me,  have  defended  Colonel  Burr  therein,  I  know 
of  no  one  who  has  a  better  right  to  share  the  secret ;  but,  as  you 
suggest,  you  must  first  become  a  partner  in  my  promise." 

I  gave  him  my  word  that  the  promise  made  by  him  to  Colonel 
Burr  should  be  kept  sacredly  by  me. 

"  Then,"  said  Col.  Dane,  as  his  voice  fell  to  a  whisper,  "  here 
is  the  true  story  of  Harman  Blennerhassett — the  real  reason 
why  he  left  his  native  land  so  suddenly,  and  why  he  was  not 
welcomed  by  relatives  and  former  friends  when  he  returned. 
Margaret  Agnew  -was  the  daughter  of  one  of  Harman  Blenner 
hassett' s  own  sisters! " 

I  started  back,  astonished  at  the  strangeness  of  this  story. 

"  Yes,"  continued  the  Colonel,  "  when  Margaret  Agnew  was 
married  to  Harman  Blennerhassett,  she  became  the  wife  of 
her  own  uncle!  Don't  forget  your  promise!" 

MONDAY,  June  21. 

Since  writing  what  I  did  last  Saturday,  the  most  important 
event  in  my  life  has  taken  place.  I  have  not  time  or  space, 
here,  to  write  out  a  full  account,  but  I  shall  take  the  first 
opportunity  that  presents  itself  to  do  so.  The  wildest  inven 
tions  of  romance  could  not  have  been  more  startling  than  my 
experiences  during  the  past  two  days.  When  I  entered  CoL 


422  BLENNERHASSETT 

Dane's  library  yesterday  evening  and  found  him  sitting  in  his 
accustomed  place,  I  expressed  the  hope  that  he  had  suffered  no 
personal  inconvenience  from  the  late  hour  he  had  kept  on  the 
previous  Friday. 

"  Not  at  all,"  the  Colonel  responded.  "  Notwithstanding  the 
unusually  late  hour 'at  which  I  went  to  bed,  I  got  up  earlier 
than  usual.  I  reached  my  lawyer's  office  before  he  arrived.  I 
told  him  I  needed  his  services  for  the  entire  day.  He  de 
murred,  said  he  was  very  busy,  and  wished  to  postpone  my 
business  until  next  week.  For  once  in  my  life,  at  least,  my 
impulse  to  do  something  overcame  my  usual  inclination  to  do 
nothing.  I  insisted  upon  his  giving  me  his  entire  time.  I  told 
him  I  would  give  him  a  check  for  five  hundred  dollars  if  he 
would  postpone  everybody  else's  business.  In  doing  this  I  was 
prompted  by  an  impulse  that  I  cannot  explain." 

"  Money  talks,"  I  remarked. 

"  That's  so,"  assented  the  Colonel,  "  but  in  this  case  it  obliged 
my  lawyer  to  sit  still  and  hear  me  talk.  What  I  said,  and 
what  I  did,  you  will  learn  one  of  these  days.  Perhaps  it  will 
be  very  soon." 

As  he  said  this,  a  look  more  nearly  approaching  one  of  sorrow    . 
than  I  had  ever  seen  there  before  showed  itself  upon  his  face. 

The  subject  of  the  last  manuscript  was  Aaron  Burr's  religious 
belief,  or,  to  adopt  Colonel  Burr's  own  words  "  The  Next 
World :  A  Common  Sense  View  of  it  Based  upon  our  Ex 
perience  in  This."  Before  reading  the  manuscript,  Col.  Dane 
gave  me  the  particulars  of  a  long  interview  which  he  had  with 
Col.  Burr  at  the  time  the  latter  gave  him  the  manuscript  which 
contained  the  details  of  his  religious  theory. 

I  asked  permission,  which  was  granted,  to  take  this  down 
in  shorthand,  and  shall  use  my  notes  in  preparing  the  state 
ment  which  it  is  my  intention  to  make.  About  midway  of  the 
reading,  Col.  Dane  summoned  his  private  secretary  and  asked 
him  to  bring  a  small  box  from  the  safe.  When  Thorvald  had 
retired,  Col.  Dane  said,  "  There  is  no  invention  for  the  benefit 
of  good  men  which  is  not  used  to  some  extent  by  evil-doers. 
Colonel  Burr  gave  me  this."  He  held  up  what  appeared  to  be 
a  small  piece  of  stone. 

"  This,"  continued  the  Colonel,  "  is  a  French  invention.  Our 
English  name  for  it  is  plastic  cement."  I  took  it  in  my  hand 


JUSTUS  DANE'S  MSS.         423 

and  examined  it  carefully.  As  I  returned  it,  I  remarked  that 
its  us«  was  not  suggested  by  its  appearance. 

"  No,"  said  the  Colonel,  with  a  laugh.  "  It  looks  and  feels 
like  a  piece  of  stone,  but  when  subjected  to  the  proper  degree 
of  heat,  it  becomes  soft  like  putty.  Now,  we  will  suppose  that 
the  letter  of  a  friend  or  of  an  enemy,  properly  sealed  and  un 
opened,  comes  into  your  possession.  You  wish  to  learn  its 
contents,  but  you  do  not  wish  the  owner  of  it  to  know  that  you 
have  examined  it.  You  will  see,"  remarked  Col.  Dane,  "  that 
I  am  now  acting  the  part  of  an  evil-doer.  When  the  cement 
softens,  you  press  it  down  upon  some  even  surface,  so  as  to 
smooth  it,  then,  while  still  warm,  you  place  it  upon  the  seal 
which  you  wish  to  break  and  once  more  press  down  firmly  and 
evenly.  Then  you  remove  the  cement  and  allow  it  to  cool.  It 
will  soon  resume  its  original  consistency  of  stone.  Afterwards, 
to  hide  the  evidence  of  your  crime,  you  place  sufficient  sealing- 
wax  upon  the  letter  and,  with  your  piece  of  stone,  which  has 
countersunk  in  it  the  exact  counterpart  of  your  friend's  or 
enemy's  seal,  you  impress  upon  the  hot  sealing-wax  this  same 
counterpart.  The  recipient  of  the  letter  sees  nothing  to  awaken 
his  suspicions  and  you  thus  escape  detection." 

While  at  dinner,  Thorvald  made  some  reference  to  Iceland. 
The  Colonel's  reply  I  have  never  forgotten.  He  said,  "  Thor 
vald  is  never  weary  of  talking  about  his  native  land.  He  was 
a  mere  boy  when  he  left  it,  but  he  has  never  forgotten  his 
early  impressions.  In  fact,  I  believe  they  have  become  more 
intensified  than  they  would  have  been  if  he  had  remained  at 
home.  He  was  an  orphan.  I  brought  him  home  with  me.  I 
am  much  attached  to  Thorvald  and  I  know  he  is  to  me,  but 
I  am  sure  that  when  my  time  comes  and  I  am  laid  away  to 
rest,  his  first  inclination  will  be  to  return  at  once  to  the 
country  where  he  was  born.  I  don't  blame  him,  mind  you," 
he  added,  turning  to  me,  "  and  if  you  can  aid  him  at  any  time 
in  carrying  out  this  laudable  ambition  I  hope  you  will  do  so." 
I  assured  him  that  I  would.  "  I  must  thank  you  now,"  said 
the  Colonel,  "  for,  from  the  nature  of  the  case,  it  will  be  im 
possible  for  me  to  do  so  after  you  have  kept  your  promise." 

Returning  to  the  library,  we  engaged  in  general  conversation. 
The  Colonel's  roller  chair  was  wheeled  to  the  centre  of  the 
room,  so  as  to  bring  us  into  what  seemed  to  be  closer  intimacy 


424  BLENNERHASSETT 

of  thought.  I  explained  the  object  and  scope  of  my  book.  Col. 
Dane  related  some  very  interesting  anecodotes  of  his  travels 
in  Europe.  Thorvald  talked  about  Iceland  and  showed  me 
many  books  relating  to  his  native  country,  which  Col.  Dane's 
library  contained.  Suddenly  the  Colonel  changed  the  line  of 
conversation  and  reverted  to  the  topics  which  had  been  upper 
most  in  our  minds  during  the  past  two  weeks. 

"  Thorvald,"  said  he,  "  please  open  the  safe  and  get  that 
porcelain  miniature  of  Theodosia.  Did  you  ever  see  anything 
more  beautiful  ? "  he  inquired  of  me  as  Thorvald  placed  it  in 
my  hands.  "  I  have  sat  for  hours,"  rn  continued,  "  and  gazed 
on  that  face.  I  have  never  married,  but  if  I  had  been  at  any 
time  during  my  life  fortunate  enough  to  have  met  a  counter 
part  of  Theodosia  Burr,  I  should  have  thrown  myself  at  her 
feet  and  have  wooed  her  even  more  persistently  than  did  that 
persistent  young  man,  Joseph  Alston,  who  won  the  original." 

I  went  home  soon  after,  for  I  could  see  that  the  long  con 
versation  had  naturally  wearied  my  host,  although  he  would 
have  been  the  last  person  to  acknowledge  it.  His  chair  had 
been  wheeled  to  its  old  position  behind  the  library  table.  I 
thanked  him  for  the  pleasant  evening  I  had  enjoyed,  and  ex 
pressed  my  intention  of  returning  to  Boston  on  the  following 
day.  He  asked  me  for  my  address,  which  I  gave  him,  and  we 
shook  hands  warmly.  I  looked  back  as  I  reached  the  door  of 
the  library,  and  saw  that  his  gaze  was  fixed  intently  upon  the 
miniature  portrait  of  Theodosia  that  stood  before  him  upon 
the  library  table.  I  shall  never  forget  the  look  in  his  face. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII 

HOW   THE   SEALED   PACKET  BECAME   MINE 

MONDAY,  June  21 — continued. 

Early  this  morning,  I  was  awakened  by  a  loud  knock  at 
my  door.  Opening  it,  Thorvald  entered.  I  saw  at  once  that 
something  of  more  than  ordinary  importance  had  taken  place. 
He  told  me  the  sad  story  in  a  few  words.  After  my  departure 
last  night,  Col.  Dane  had  told  Thorvald  that  he  had  some 
writing  to  do  and  that  he  did  not  wish  to  be  disturbed  before 
midnight.  When  the  young  man  entered  the  room,  he  found 
that  his  employer,  friend,  and  benefactor  was  dead.  Thorvald 
told  me  that  he  had  just  come  from  the  lawyer's  office,  for 
Col.  Dane  had  instructed  him,  in  case  of  his  sudden  death,  to 
inform  his  lawyer  at  once.  To  my  surprise,  Thorvald  told  me 
that  the  lawyer  wished  to  see  me  at  his  office  at  eleven  o'clock. 

As  I  was  making  my  preparations  to  accompany  him,  I  said 
to  Thorvald,  "  Did  the  Colonel  write  as  he  proposed  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  the  young  man,  and  he  took  from  his  pocket  a 
folded  sheet,  which  he  passed  to  me.  I  opened  it  and  read.  It 
was  a  poem,  entitled  "  To  Theodosia  in  Heaven." 

After  finishing  the  verses  Col.  Dane  had  evidently  taken  up 
his  pen  again  to  write  the  date,  and  to  add  his  initials.  The 
"  J  "  was  perfectly  formed,  but  where  the  "  D "  should  have 
been  there  was  a  large  blot  of  ink.  No  doubt,  at  that  moment, 
the  final  shock  had  come  and  the  pen  had  dropped  from  his 
nerveless  fingers. 

WEDNESDAY,  June  23. 

I  have  had  no  opportunity,  until  this  evening,  to  complete 
my  account  of  the  events  which  took  place  last  Sunday  and 
Monday.  Accompanied  by  Thorvald,  I  went  to  the  office  of  Mr. 
Tisdale,  the  late  Col.  Dane's  lawyer.  Here,  a  great  surprise 
awaited  me ;  I  might  say,  several  great  surprises.  Mr.  Tisdale 
informed  me  that  Col.  Dane  had  made  a  new  will  the  previous 

425 


426 


BLENNERHASSETT 


Saturday  and  that  he  wished  to  see  me  because  I  was  mentioned 
therein.  His  principal  heir,  of  course,  was  Thorvald,  but  he 
left  him  only  five  thousand  dollars  in  money,  saying  that  in 
herited  wealth  stifled  ambition  and  he  preferred  that  Thorvald, 
and  he  knew  that  Thorvald  would  so  prefer,  should  gain  wealth 
and  fame  by  his  own  exertions,  rather  than  by  inheritance. 
Besides  the  amount  given  Thorvald,  he  left  bequests  to  distant 
relatives  and  to  his  valued  servants;  the  balance  of  his  property, 
both  real  and  personal,  excepting  what  he  had  left  to  me,  he 
devised  in  trust  to  the  King  of  Denmark,  the  Danish  Repre 
sentative  at  Reikiavik  in  Iceland,  and  to  Mr.  Thorvald  Sigurds- 
son,  to  be  used  for  the  benefit  of  the  people  of  Iceland.  But 
his  gift  to  me  was  a  greater  fortune,  in  my  opinion,  than  that 
bestowed  upon  Thorvald's  countrymen. 

It  included  his  books,  manuscripts,  mementos,  pictures,  and, 
wonderful  to  relate,  the  sealed  packet  which  Aaron  Burr  had 
placed  in  the  hands  of  Judge  Van  Ness,  which  the  latter  had 
returned  to  its  original  owner,  which  Burr  had  given  to  Col. 
Dane  and  which  he,  in  turn,  entrusted  to  my  safe  keeping 
until  the  time  should  come  to  break  the  seals  and  divulge  its 
contents. 

THURSDAY,  June  24. 

There  were  but  few  mourners  gathered  to  listen  to  the  funeral 
services.  Col.  Dane  had  virtually  lived  the  life  of  a  recluse, 
particularly  during  the  last  six  years.  He  had  formerly  been 
a  member  of  several  prominent  New  York  clubs,  and  a  few  of 
his  old-time  associates  were  present.  Besides  them,  Lawyer 
Tisdale,  Thorvald,  the  servants,  and  myself  composed  the  little 
company.  There  was  one  noticeable  fact  connected  with  this 
funeral.  No  woman  was  present.  Thorvald  must  have  intui 
tively  divined  the  dead  man's  admiration  for  Theodosia  Burr. 
After  obtaining  my  permission,  for  he  knew  the  miniature  was 
now  my  property,  he  placed  it  upon  the  mantelpiece  in  the 
room  where  the  services  were  held.  The  lawyer  informed  me 
that  Col.  Dane  had  instructed  the  undertaker,  he  was  a  personal 
friend,  to  take  his  body  to  Salem,  Massachusetts,  and  place  it 
by  the  side  of  his  father  and  mother  who  were  buried  there. 

And  thus  died  and  was  buried  he,  who,  it  will  one  day  be 
found,  was  the  most  devoted,  most  loyal,  and  most  serviceable 
friend  that  Aaron  Burr  ever  possessed. 


CHAPTER  XXXIX 

THE  CHAMPAGNE  BOTTLE 

FRIDAY,  June  25. 

Thorvald  came  to  my  hotel  to-day  and  brought  me  a  large 
package  containing  the  pictures  and  mementos  which  Col.  Dane 
had  left  me.  He  also  brought  the  priceless  packet,  the  contents 
of  which  I  shall  be  at  liberty  to  examine  in  less  than  three 
months.  The  time  is  short,  but  how  slowly  it  will  pass  away. 
Thorvald  informed  me  that  Col.  Dane  had  made  out  a  bill  of 
sale  of  everything  that  he  had  bequeathed  me,  bearing  date 
previous  to  the  date  of  his  will,  and  Lawyer  Tisdale  wished 
him  to  tell  me  that  the  books  and  manuscripts  would  be  for 
warded  to  my  Boston  address  at  once. 

I  had  a  long  talk  with  Thorvald.  He  had  no  precise  plans 
formed  and,  when  I  proposed  that  he  should  accompany  me  to 
Boston  and  act  for  me  in  a  similar  capacity  to  that  held  by 
him  with  Col.  Dane,  he  gladly  assented  and  said  he  would 
complete  his  preparations  so  that  he  could  accompany  me  to 
morrow. 

While  walking  down  Broadway  this  morning,  I  met  an  old 
acquaintance,  Sir  William  Golden,  an  English  baronet.  Our 
friendship  began  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Timothy  Appleton,  who 
lives  on  Commonwealth  Avenue  in  Boston.  Mr.  Appleton  was  a 
Vermont  farmer,  with  an  inventive  turn  of  mind,  who  had 
come  to  Boston  and  had  made  an  independent  fortune  with  his 
patent  mouse-traps,  stove  lifters,  egg-beaters,  and  washboards. 
He  has  two  daughters — Gladys  and  Gwendolin — and  as  soon  as 
words  of  greeting  were  interchanged,  Sir  William  informed  me 
that  Gladys  Appleton  was  to  become  his  wife  within  the  next 
fortnight. 

He  had  come  over  on  his  steam  yacht,  the  Rainbow.  The 
wedding  trip  was  to  include  Norway  and  Iceland,  and  Miss 
Gwendolin  Appleton  was  to  accompany  her  sister.  He  asked 
me  what  I  had  been  doing  and  I  told  him  about  my  book. 

"  I  have  an  idea !  "  he  cried,  in  his  bluff,  hearty  way.  "  Make 

427 


428 


BLENNERHASSETT 


one  of  our  party.  We  shall  be  delighted  to  have  your  company. 
If  I  monopolize  Lady  Golden's  society,  you  can  talk  to  her 
charming  sister." 

I  politely  declined  the  invitation.  Sir  William  demanded  my 
reason.  Then  I  told  him  about  Col.  Dane  and  the  promise  that 
I  had  made  concerning  Thorvald. 

"  Nothing  could  be  better,"  cried  Sir  William.  "  Have  him 
come,  too.  We  are  going  to  Iceland  and  it  will  be  a  great 
advantage  for  our  little  party  to  have  with  us  a  native  of  the 
country  who  can  speak  English."  I  gave  him  my  Boston 
address  and  he  promised  to  call  upon  me. 

SATURDAY,  June  26. 

We  left  on  the  five  o'clock  train  for  Boston.  On  the  way,  I 
told  Thorvald  about  Sir  William's  invitation  and  he  was  de 
lighted  at  the  prospect  of  so  speedy  a  return  to  his  native  land. 
I  shall  be  so  busy  making  my  preparations  for  the  trip,  that  my 
journal  entries  are  likely  to  be  few  and  far  between  for  some 
time  to  come. 

THURSDAY,  July  8. 

There  was  a  quiet  home  wedding  yesterday  at  the  Common 
wealth  Avenue  house.  The  Rainbow  has  carefully  threaded  the 
intricacies  of  Boston  harbor  and,  as  I  look  out  of  my  cabin 
window,  I  see  that  we  are  just  passing  the  Outer  Brewster.  In 
a  short  time  we  shall  be  at  sea.  Our  first  stopping  place  is 
Halifax,  where  Sir  William  has  some  friends  belonging  to  the 
British  army. 

FRIDAY,  July  9. 

We  are  steaming  along  at  a  rapid  rate.  The  Rainbow  is 
so  solidly  built  that  one  can  walk  her  decks  with  more  pre 
cision  and  comfort  than  the  Boston  sidewalks. 

Let  me  present  some  pen  pictures  of  our  little  party.  First, 
Sir  William  Golden,  hale,  bluff,  and  hearty;  he  has  blue  eyes, 
light,  curly  hair,  and  a  very  florid  complexion.  He  is  a  man 
of  honor  and  his  words,  earnestly  spoken,  always  carry  convic 
tion.  Lady  Golden  is  a  petite  American  blonde;  her  eyes,  too, 
are  blue  and  her  hair,  I  had  almost  said  golden,  but  I  refrain. 


THE  CHAMPAGNE  BOTTLE   429 

She  is  bright  in  manner,  engaging  in  conversation,  and  has  an 
infectious  laugh.  Her  sister  Gwendolin  is  an  exactly  opposite 
type,  being  a  decided  brunette,  with  dark  hair  and  eyes,  reserved 
in  manner  and  statuesque  in  her  poses.  What  a  contrast  she 
presents  to  Thorvald !  He  is  more  than  six  feet  in  height  and 
fashioned  in  an  heroic  mold.  He  has  a  fair  complexion,  rosy 
cheeks,  and  large,  bright,  blue  eyes.  His  hair  is  tawny,  that 
shade  peculiar  to  the  Scandinavians.  A  moustache  of  the  same 
color  gives  a  strong  manly  look  to  the  handsome  face. 

TUESDAY,  July  20. 

We  touched  at  Halifax,  but  remained  only  a  day.  This 
morning  we  steamed  up  the  Mersey  with  the  purpose  of  refilling 
our  coal-bunkers  before  starting  for  Norway,  but  we  are  not 
to  go  to  Norway,  at  present.  Sir  William  received  letters  from 
his  partners  in  London,  asking  him  if  he  could  not  go  at  once 
to  Iceland.  They  wish  him  to  take  measures  to  increase  the 
output  of  the  sulphur  mines  owned  by  the  company  in  that 
island 

THURSDAY,  July  22. 

I  have  not  referred  before  in  my  journal  to  something  that 
has  been  going  on  under  my  eyes  since  the  Rainbow  left  Hali 
fax.  Thorvald  is  evidently  very  much  smitten  with  Miss  Gwen 
dolin,  but  his  advances,  so  far  as  I  can  see,  have  met  with  but 
slight  encouragement.  Thorvald  is  not  a  flirt,  or  I  might  fancy 
that  this  love-making  was  undertaken  only  as  a  pastime  to 
relieve  the  tediousness  of  the  journey. 

FRIDAY,  July  23. 

No,  Thorvald  is  in  dead  earnest.  We  spent  last  evening  upon 
the  deck  in  the  bright  moonlight.  Thorvald  sang  a  song  with 
guitar  accompaniment,  which  so  pleased  Lady  Golden  that  she 
asked  for  a  copy  of  the  words.  He  gave  them  to  her  this 
morning.  This  afternoon,  chancing  to  go  up  behind  Miss 
Gwendolin,  I  noticed  that  she  was  reading  the  words.  But, 
hearing  me  approach,  she  folded  up  the  paper  and  slipped  it 
between  the  leaves  of  her  book.  How  devious  are  the  ways 
of  love-making.  No  general  is  called  upon  to  exercise  more 
strategy  than  is  shown  by  a  persistent  lover. 


430  BLENNERHASSETT 

SATURDAY,  July  24. 

Capt.  Jason  Millett,  in  reply  to  an  inquiry,  informed  me  this 
afternoon  that  the  prow  of  the  Rainbow  was  turned  towards 
Ultima  Thule.  "  We  are  in  the  Gulf  Stream,"  he  said.  "  It 
can  be  recognized  by  its  dark  green  color.  Its  temperature 
here,  at  the  north  of  Scotland,  is  fully  70°.  Here  it  separates, 
one  branch  going  northeast  to  the  coast  of  Norway  and  the 
other  northwest  to  Iceland.  If  it  were  not  for  the  Gulf 
Stream,  the  climate  of  Iceland  would  be  as  cold  as  that  of 
Greenland." 

MONDAY,  August  2. 

To-day  we  steamed  into  Faxa  Fjord,  the  little  bay  at  the 
head  of  which  Reikiavik,  the  capital  of  Iceland,  is  situated. 
While  sight-seeing,  we  are  to  take  breakfast  on  the  boat  and 
return  home  to  it  at  night. 

SATURDAY,  August  14. 

From  our  arrival  up  to  the  present  time,  every  moment  not 
devoted  to  eating  and  sleeping  has  been  spent  examining  the 
wonders  of  this  truly  wonderful  island.  Thorvald  has  been 
invaluable  as  guide  and  interpreter.  To-day  came  a  break  in  our 
festivities.  Sir  William  wished  to  visit  the  sulphur  mines  and 
has  gone  thither  on  the  Rainbow,  accompanied  by  Thorvald, 
the  ladies  and  myself  having  become  the  guests  of  the  Danish 
Representative. 

MONDAY,  August  16. 

Will  wonders  never  cease !  A  startling  event  happened  to 
day,  almost  as  miraculous  in  its  nature  as  the  bequest  of  the 
sealed  packet  to  which  it  forms,  as  it  were,  a  sequel. 

I  engaged  Olaf  Finssen,  a  fisherman,  to  go  as  my  guide  on 
a  trip  to  Mt.  Hecla.  When  we  had  proceeded  but  a  short  dis 
tance,  his  pony  slipped  and  threw  him,  breaking  his  leg.  With 
my  assistance,  he  managed  to  remount  and  return  home.  I 
rode  to  Reikiavik  and  obtained  the  services  of  a  surgeon.  While 
in  Olaf's  hut,  I  spied  something  on  a  small  shelf  in  a  dark 
corner,  which  seemed  out  of  place  in  connection  with  its  sur 
roundings.  It  was  a  champagne  bottle.  I  toctk  it  up.  It  was 
so  light,  I  knew  it  could  not  be  filled  with  wine.  Wiping  the 


THE  CHAMPAGNE  BOTTLE  431 

dust  from  the  cork  with  my  handkerchief,  I  found  that  the 
top  was  covered  with  sealing-wax,  upon  which  was  stamped 
with  a  seal  the  letter  "  B ". 

An  insatiable  desire  to  possess  that  bottle  seized  me.  Finssen 
said  he  could  not  give  it  to  me,  for  it  did  not  belong  to  him. 
His  grandfather  had  found  it  floating  in  the  water  years  ago. 
It  had  been  given  to  his  father  and  his  father  had  given  it  to 
him.  When  the  owner  came  for  it,  he  could  have  it,  he  said. 
Then  I  determined  upon  an  act  of  what  I  deemed  justifiable 
strategy.  Appearing  to  notice  the  seal  for  the  first  time,  I 
cried  : 

"  Why,  I  know  that  seal !  I  know  to  whom  it  belongs !  I 
know  the  person  who  uses  that  seal !  " 

"  Then  you  will  take  the  bottle  to  him  ?  "  asked  Finssen. 

"  Yes,"  I  replied,  "  but  I  know  that  he  would  not  be  willing 
to  accept  it  unless  he  paid  you  for  taking  such  good  care  of 
it  for  him  for  so  many  years." 

"  It  has  been  no  trouble,"  answered  Olaf.  "  There  is  no 
reason  why  he  should  pay  me  for  doing  what  has  been  no 
trouble." 

I  told  him  that  I  would  see  that  the  bottle  was  delivered  to 
the  proper  person,  and  thanked  him  in  the  name  of  the  owner 
for  the  care  he  had  given  it. 

I  took  the  bottle  to  my  room.  Then  I  sent  one  of  the 
servants  to  get  some  cold  water  and  some  boiling  water.  He 
returned  with  the  information  that  the  cook  would  loan  me 
some  but  she  could  not  give  it  to  me  as  water  was  very  scarce. 
I  accepted  the  loan  and  he  soon  returned  with  two  small  dishes, 
one  containing  the  cold  water  and  the  other  the  hot.  I  did 
not  wish  to  break  the  bottle  in  pieces,  so  I  placed  the  bottom 
of  it  in  the  cold  water,  and  then  plunged  it  into  the  hot  water. 
I  heard  a  snap  and  knew  that  the  bottom  of  the  bottle  had 
separated  from  the  top.  I  turned  the  hat  water  in  with  the 
cold,  holding  the  bottle  in  position,  and  then  sent  the  water  to 
the  cook  with  my  thanks,  accompanied  by  a  kroner  for  recom 
pense.  I  told  the  servant  that  I  wished  to  be  alone,  and  then  I 
examined  the  contents  of  the  bottle.  As  I  lifted  the  upper  part 
from  the  base  which  had  been  separated  from  it,  a  roll  of 
paper  £nd  two  letters  fell  upon  the  table.  I  picked  up  one 
of  the  letters.  It  was  addressed  to  Hon.  Joseph  Alston,  Charles 
ton,  S.  C.  1  was  dazed,  almost  confounded.  Finally,  I  sum- 


432  BLENNERHASSETT 

moned  courage  to  pick  up  the  second  letter,  and  my  astonish 
ment  upon  reading  the  superscription  was  greater  than  ever.  It 
was  directed  to  Col.  Aaron  Burr,  New  York.  I  examined  the 
roll  of  manuscript ;  it  was  written  in  French.  Although  I  did 
not  speak  the  language,  I  could  read  it  with  considerable  facility. 
First,  I  opened  the  letter  to  Mr.  Alston,  noticing  at  the 
time  that  both  letters  were  sealed  with  the  same  seal  that  had 
been  used  upon  the  cork  of  the  bottle.  The  letter  was  in 
English.  As  I  unfolded  the  sheet  two  half  circlets  of  gold  fell 
from  it.  I  picked  them  up  and  looked  at  them.  Upon  one  of 
them  were  the  letters  J.  A.  to  T.  B.,  1801.  A  wedding  ring? 
The  meaning  was  explained  when  I  read  the  letter.  Then  I 
opened  the  letter  addressed  to  Col.  Burr.  It  was  in  cypher. 
Quickly,  I  drew  up  my  traveling  bag  and  hunted  through  to 
see  if  I  had  kept  a  copy  of  a  cypher  found  among  Col.  Dane's 
papers.  Fortunately  I  had  done  so  and  the  deciphering  of  the 
letter  was  easy.  Then  I  unrolled  the  manuscript  and  read  it 
from  beginning  to  end ;  from  the  day  when  the  ill-fated 
"  Patriot "  sailed  from  the  port  of  Charleston,  until  the  night 
when  Theodosia  accompanied  Capt.  Thaddeus,  she  knew  not 
where.  Where  had  she  gone?  Part  of  the  mystery  had  been 
cleared  up,  but  the  part  that  remained  was  more  impenetrable 
than  ever. 


CHAPTER  XL 

THE    WRECK    OF    THE    RAINBOW 

SUNDAY,  September  19. 

Although  I  have  made  copious  shorthand  notes  in  my  note 
book,  my  journal  has  been  neglected  since  the  i6th  of  August. 
I  cannot  hope  to  write  out  here  at  length  what  has  transpired 
during  the  past  month,  but  I  will  endeavor  to  condense  into  a 
few  salient  sentences  an  epitome  of  the  principal  events.  Sir 
William  returned  from  his  trip  to  the  sulphur  mines  and  we 
passed  another  fortnight  in  extended  journeys  into  the  centre 
of  the  island.  On  Friday,  September  3,  we  started  on  our 
return  trip.  Thorvald  accompanied  us,  his  ostensible  reason 
being  to  visit  the  King  of  Denmark  in  relation  to  the  Dane 
legacy ;  but  I  knew  there  was  a  more  potent  reason  in  the  shape 
of  a  passenger  on  the  Rainbow. 

The  day  after  leaving  Reikiavik,  the  sky  became  overcast. 
The  next  day,  the  rain  fell  in  torrents,  accompanied  by  a  heavy 
wind,  which  soon  became  a  gale,  and  later  on,  a  veritable 
tempest.  We  were  driven  out  of  our  course  by  its  fury.  On 
the  morning  of  the  I5th  of  September,  Capt.  Millett  espied  what 
appeared  to  be  a  land-locked  bay,  which,  if,  we  could  reach, 
would  become  a  haven  of  safety.  Instead,  the  Rainbow  ran 
upon  some  sunken  rocks  and  became  a  total  wreck.  We  were 
obliged  to  take  to  the  boats  and,  after  much  difficulty,  the 
passengers  and  crew  were  at  last  safe  on  shore. 

As  one  of  the  boats  was  cast  ashore  by  a  huge  wave,  Thor 
vald  was  thrown  from  it  violently  and  his  head  struck  upon  a 
rock.  In  times  of  danger  and  suffering,  love  speaks  in  no 
uncertain  tones.  It  was  so  in  this  case,  and  during  the  five 
minutes  that  followed  the  accident,  every  member  of  our  little 
party  knew  that  Gwendolin  Appleton  loved  Thorvald  Sigurds- 
son  as  devotedly  as  he  loved  her. 

But  why  look  back  with  such  regret,  if  the  lives  of  all  our 
party  were  saved?  For  this  good  and  sufficient  reason.  As  I 

433 


434  BLENNERHASSETT 

stood  upon  that  forlorn  beach,  looking  first  at  the  wrecked 
Rainbow  and  then  at  its  wrecked  passengers  and  crew,  who 
stood  huddled  together,  without  food  or  shelter,  the  thought 
came  to  me  that  this  I5th  of  September  was  the  day  I  had 
looked  forward  to  upon  which  I  could  open  the  precious  sealed 
packet  and  learn  its  contents,  but  the  danger  was  so  imminent 
that  we  had  been  obliged  to  leave  the  Rainbow  in  order  to 
save  our  lives  and  no  thought  had  been  given,  in  that  moment 
of  peril,  to  our  personal  belongings.  Now,  it  was  too  late.  The 
storm  increased  in  violence  and  the  ill-fated  yacht  parted  amid 
ships  and  sunk  beneath  the  waters  of  the  bay. 

Sir  William  has  offered  to  bear  the  expenses  for  diving,  in 
order  to  secure  the  lost  packet,  but  I  would  not  consent  to 
such  an  outlay,  for  I  doubt  if  it  would  be  possible  for  us  to 
even  find  the  little  bay  in  which  the  Rainbow  had  sunk. 

MONDAY,  September  27. 

Sir  William  has  just  left  me.  When  he  came  in,  his  face 
was  beaming  with  pleasure.  He  told  me  that  he  had  just  met 
an  old  friend,  the  Duke  of  Hamilton,  who  had  invited  our 
party  to  go  to  his  country  house  and  stay  as  long  as  we  pleased. 

At  first  I  declined.  What  good  could  I  hope  to  gain  from 
such  a  visit.  I  had  lost  all  my  treasures  with  the  exception 
of  my  journal  and  note-book,  which  were,  fortunately,  in  the 
pocket  of  the  overcoat  which  I  wore  when  we  were  obliged 
to  leave  the  yacht.  Then  I  thought  of  Thorvald  whose  injury 
had  proved  to  be  quite  severe. 

Should  I  be  keeping  my  promise  made  to  Col.  Dane  unless  T 
remained  near  him  until  he  was  out  of  danger  and  on  the 
road  to  sure  recovery?  At  last  I  consented,  and  we  shall  soon 
leave  our  comfortable  quarters  which  we  have  occupied  in  a 
Liverpool  hotel  for  the  past  week. 


CHAPTER  XLI 

THE  DEATH  OF  THEODOSIA 

THURSDAY,  September  30. 

We  arrived  yesterday  at  the  Duke  of  Hamilton's  country 
house.  He  has  but  few  visitors  at  present,  but  by  the  first 
of  October,  the  house  will  be  crowded.  The  Duke's  family 
physician  says  that  Thorvald  will  suffer  no  permanent  injury 
from  his  accident.  What  he  most  requires  is  rest  and  good 
nursing.  He  is  sure  to  receive  these,  for  Miss  Gwendolin  has 
hardly  left  his  side  since  the  accident. 

As  I  was  sitting  this  morning  with  the  Duke  in  the  library 
reading  a  newspaper,  he  looked  up  from  the  letter  he  was 
writing  and  said, 

"  Sir  William  has  told  me  of  the  fate  of  your  manuscripts 
and  documents.  I  wish  that  I  could  compensate  in  some  way 
for  the  loss  that  you  have  sustained,  but  the  Hamilton  family, 
although  it  has  rendered  service  to  the  country,  has  done  noth 
ing  of  a  very  distinguished  nature  that  I  remember." 

"  Was  there  a  member  of  your  family  by  the  name  of  Daniel 
Hamilton,"  I  inquired,  "  who  many  years  ago  left  Scotland 
and  went  to  the  West  Indies?" 

"I  know  to  whom  you  refer,"  replied  the  Duke;  "he  was 
my  grandfather's  uncle.  I  have  read  about  him  and  his  son 
who,  I  understand,  took  a  very  prominent  part  in  the  American 
Revolution." 

"  What  is  your  Christian  name,"  I  asked,  "  if  I  may  pre 
sume?  " 

"  Alexander,"  replied  the  Duke,  "  and  that  was  my  father's 
before  me.  He  was  a  second  son  and  began  public  life  in  the 
navy,  but  the  death  of  his  brother,  of  course,  gave  him  the 
title." 

"Was  he  engaged  in  the  War  of  1812?"  I  asked. 

"  No,"  replied  the  Duke,  "  he  returned  to  England  before  that 
time.  His  principal  service  was  rendered  in  chasing  the  pirates 

435 


436 


BLENNERHASSETT 


who  at  that  time  infested  the  Spanish  Main.  He  received  his 
first  promotion  for  causing  the  death  of  one  of  the  most  noted 
pirates  of  the  time,  a  Captain  Boncourt,  I  believe." 

"  What !  Captain  Thaddeus  Boncourt  ? "  I  cried,  for  the 
thought  immediately  flashed  into  my  mind  that  if  the  Duke 
of  Hamilton's  father  had  killed  Captain  Thaddeus  he  might 
have  known  or  said  something  about  the  companion  of  his 
flight. 

"  Yes,"  continued  the  Duke,  "  and  several  days  later  the 
sloop-of-war  Cygnet,  to  which  he  belonged,  overhauled  the  pirate 
ship  of  which  Boncourt  was  captain,  and  after  a  sharp  fight 
captured  her.  He  wrote  home  a  long  letter  concerning  the 
affair  to  my  mother,  to  whom  he  was  engaged  before  he  left 
Scotland.  His  elder  brother  died  in  1813,  and  he  came  home 
at  once,  married,  and  assumed  the  title." 

"Are  any  of  his  letters  in  existence?"  I  anxiously  asked. 

"  Certainly ;  my  mother  kept  all  of  his  letters.  But  why  are 
you  so  interested  ?  " 

I  explained  to  him  the  discovery  that  I  had  made  while  in 
Iceland ;  told  him  of  the  contents  of  the  bottle  and  how  much 
I  had  learned  from  them. 

"  You  shall  have  the  letter  and  read  it  for  yourself,"  said 
the  Duke,  and,  opening  a  cabinet,  he  extracted  a  package  of 
old  letters,  and,  untying  them,  passed  one  of  them  to  me.  "  That 
is  the  one.  I  know  it  because  it  is  so  yellow." 

I  opened  it  with  trembling  hands.  The  letter  was  a  very 
long  one,  and  I  transcribe  only  those  portions  in  which  I  was 
particularly  interested. 

On   the  Spanish  Main,  Jan.   15,   1813. 
MY  DEAR  FLORA: 

Since  I  last  wrote  you,  a  most  exciting  affair  has  taken  place, 
and  your  Alexander,  for  whom  you  predicted  fame,  has  taken 
the  first  step  upon  the  ladder  that  leads  to  that  high  elevation. 
The  Cygnet  had  come  to  anchor  in  a  little  bay  on  the  north 
coast  of  Cuba.  The  night  was  very  dark,  but  before  it  closed  in 
our  lookout  reported  that  a  strange  craft  was  coming  towards 
our  hiding-place.  I  was  ordered  by  the  captain  to  take  a 
boat  and  reconnoitre  in  order  to  learn,  if  possible,  the  position 
of  the  vessel.  We  were  rowing  along  almost  noiselessly,  when 
suddenly  our  boat  came  into  collision  with  another  which  we 


THE  DEATH  OF  THEODOSIA  437 

had  not  seen.  I  had  a  dark  lantern,  and  turning  the  light  upon 
the  boat  I  saw  the  face  of  a  man;  a  most  remarkable  face.  I 
knew  it  at  once,  for  I  had  heard  Captain  Thaddeus  Boncourt 
described  by  one  who  had  met  him.  I  immediately  fired  two 
shots  at  him. 

But  I  must  first  explain  that  upon  turning  the  light  into  his 
face,  he  leaped  to  his  feet  and  jumped  into  the  water,  so  that 
v/hen  I  shot  at  him  he  was  in  the  water  and  not  in  the  boat. 
My  second  shot  must  have  been  fatal,  for  he  threw  up  his 
hands  and  sunk.  Then  I  made  a  discovery.  I  kept  my  light 
turned  upon  the  water  to  see  if  he  came  to  the  surface  again, 
when  I  saw  something  white  floating  there.  Rowing  up  to  it, 
we  discovered  that  it  was  a  woman  who  had  evidently  been 
in  the  company  of  the  captain.  She  was  taken  into  our  boat  and 
we  started  at  once  for  the  ship.  Our  surgeon  was  called  and 
he  rendered  every  assistance  possible.  Upon  examination,  it 
was  found  that  one  of  my  shots  had  struck  her  in  the  right 
side  and  inflicted  what  was  undoubtedly  a  mortal  wound.  The 
surgeon  endeavored  to  locate  the  bullet  and  extract  it,  but  was 
unable  to  do  so.  We  administered  stimulants  and  she  revived 
enough  to  open  her  eyes  and  utter  two  words  in  French ;  "  M on 
fere!"  We  judged  from  this  that  Captain  Thaddeus  must  have 
been  her  father,  although  we  had  never  heard  of  his  being 
married,  or  of  his  having  any  children.  It  is  possible  that  she 
had  visited  him  on  board  the  pirate  ship,  and  at  the  time  of 
his  death  he  was  taking  her  ashore.  There  was  nothing  upon 
her  person  to  indicate  who  she  was,  and  only  the  two  words 
in  French  "  my  father,"  that  she  uttered,  supplied  any  clue  as 
to  her  identity.  She  lingered  until  the  next  day  and  then 
succumbed  to  her  wound.  We  buried  her  at  sea,  our  chaplain 
performing  the  service,  and  all  hands  stood  reverently  by  as 
the  body  was  lowered  into  the  water. 

I  was  much  shocked  at  the  incident.  The  shooting,  of 
course,  was  entirely  unintentional  on  my  part,  and  I  pray 
Heaven  to  forgive  me  for  being  the  innocent  cause  of  her 
death. 

I  could  read  no  more.     The  letter  dropped  from  my  hand. 

"  What  is  it?  "  asked  the  Duke. 

"  Only  this,"  I  answered,  "  this  letter  supplies  the  last  evi 
dence  that  I  required  to  complete  my  story.  The  young  woman 
whom  your  father  shot,  and  who  was  buried  at  sea,  was  not 


BLENNERHASSETT 

the    daughter   of   Captain    Thaddeus    Boncourt,    but   Theodosia 
Burr  Alston,  the  daughter  of  Aaron  Burr." 

The  news  of  my  discovery  was  soon  communicated  to  Sir 
William,  his  wife,  and  the  other  members  of  our  party.  I 
could  wait  no  longer,  I  must  return  at  once  to  America.  The 
desire  to  finish  my  book  came  upon  me  with  redoubled  force. 
I  knew  that  I  could  no  longer  depend  upon  the  services  of 
young  Thorvald,  he  was  in  better  hands  than  mine,  and  so, 
bidding  adieu  to  my  kind  friends,  I  made  my  way  to  Liverpool, 
secured  passage  upon  one  of  the  fast  liners,  and  was  soon  on 
my  way  home. 


CHAPTER  XLII 

THE  IRONY  OF  FATE 

FRIDAY,  December  31. 

Received  a  letter  to-day  from  Sir  William  Golden  informing 
me  of  the  approaching  marriage  of  Mr.  Thorvald  Sigurdsson 
and  Miss  Gwendolin  Appkton.  The  wedding  will  take  place 
next  month  and  Mrs.  Sigurdsson  will  accompany  her  husband 
to  Iceland.  The  company  of  which  Sir  William  is  a  director 
has  engaged  Thorvald  to  take  charge  of  the  sulphur  mines  in 
that  island. 

When  Miss  Gwendolin  looked  so  coldly  upon  poor  Thorvald 
during  the  cruise  of  the  Rainbow,  I  imagined  that  it  was  her 
intention  to  catch  either  an  earl,  a  marquis,  or  a  duke,  during 
her  first  London  season.  But  Cupid  must  have  fastened  that 
love-song  of  Thorvald's  to  his  arrow  and  the  shot  was  fatal. 
********* 

SATURDAY,  December  31,   1887. 

Sir  William  Golden  writes  to  me  half  a  dozen  times  a  year. 
He  never  forgets  to  send  me  a  Christmas  remembrance,  accom 
panied  by  a  long  letter. 

The  hand  of  Fate  plays  wild  pranks  with  us  poor  mortals. 
If  I  had  not  met  Sir  William  Golden  on  Broadway,  and  Thor 
vald  had  not  been  my  companion  on  the  Rainbow,  I  should 
never  have  been  able  to  record  the  following  facts :  Thorvald's 
son  has  been  named  Justus  Dane  Sigurdsson  in  honor  of  Ice 
land's  great  benefactor.  Sir  William  Golden's  son  and  heir  will 
some  day  be  known  as  Sir  Burr  Golden,  while  his  twin  sister 
may  be  announced  at  a  Queen's  Drawing-room  as  Lady  Theo- 
dosia. 

********* 

MONDAY,  March  4,  1901. 

Last  Saturday  I  completed  the  rewriting  of  my  book.  Sir 
William  Golden,  in  one  of  his  letters,  expressed  the  hope  that 

439 


440  BLENNERHASSETT 

the  loss  of  the  documents  which  went  down  with  the  Rainbow 
had  not  been  wholly  irreparable. 

No,  I  do  not  think  the  loss  of  the  sealed  packet  was  irre 
parable.  I  remembered  quite  accurately  the  contents  of  Theo- 
dosia's  journal  and  the  letters  written  to  her  husband  and 
father.  I  read  again,  very  carefully,  Mr.  Dane's  manuscripts, 
and  noted  his  mention  of  the  use  of  plastic  cement  as  a  means 
of  opening  and  re-sealing  letters  so  as  to  escape  detection.  I 
also  noted  the  fact  that  he  acknowledged  receiving  from  Colonel 
Burr  a  sample  of  this  cement.  I  have  a  suspicion  which  the 
lapse  of  time,  I  am  afraid,  will  never  eradicate,  that  all  that 
the  sealed  packet  contained,  which  could  have  been  used  for 
the  vindication  of  Aaron  Burr,  and  much  more,  is  contained 
in  Justus  Dane's  remarkable  manuscripts. 

I  have  read  Col.  Dane's  manuscripts  over  and  over  again 
until  I  almost  know  them  by  heart.  I  have  incorporated  herein 
such  incidents  as  seemed  pertinent  to  the  plot,  and  illustrative 
of  the  action  of  my  story,  and  have  retained  the  remainder  of 
his  writings  for  future  use  in  a  manner  as  nearly  in  conformity 
to  the  desire  expressed  by  him  in  his  last  will  and  testament 
as  possible. 

One  closing  thought  which  could  not  have  been  contained  in 
the  sealed  packet.  How  could  the  irony  of  Fate  be  more  forcibly 
portrayed  than  by  the  twin  facts  that  Aaron  Burr  killed  an 
Alexander  Hamilton  by  a  shot  in  the  side,  and  that  another 
Alexander  Hamilton,  a  scion  of  the  same  family,  also  by  a 
shot  in  the  side,  gave  a  mortal  wound  to  Theodosia  Burr,  his 
idolized  daughter. 

To-day  is  Inauguratioa  Day  at  Washington.  I  attended 
church  yesterday  and  the  clergyman  took  for  his  text  a  passage 
which  related  to  the  actions  of  kings,  princes,  potentates,  and 
other  rulers  of  men.  It  was  natural,  of  course,  that  he  should 
refer  to  those  illustrious  men  who  had  presided  over  the  for 
tunes  of  the  great  American  republic;  and  I  suppose  it  was 
perfectly  natural,  for  he  undoubtedly  imbibed  the  idea  in  school, 
that  he  should  single  out  Aaron  Burr  from  among  his  con 
temporaries  and  refer  to  him  in  terms  synonymous  with  mur 
derer  and  traitor. 

I  have  been  looking  over  one  of  Col.  Dane's  manuscripts.  I 
came  across  a  paragraph  which  I  should  like  to  have  that  clergy 
man  read,  for  I  am  sure  it  would  act  as  an  antidote  to  the 


THE  IRONT  OF  FATE         441 

poison  implanted  in  his  infant  mind  so  many  years  ago.  It 
runs  thus : 

"  When  we  consider  the  deceitful  friendship  and  systematic 
treachery  of  Wilkinson;  the  personal  spite  shown  by  Thomas 
Jefferson,  and  the  official  persecution  initiated  and  pushed  for 
ward  by  him ;  the  covert  plots  and  the  secret  correspondence ; 
the  inspired  newspaper  articles  and  pamphlets,  and  the  malig 
nant  political  opposition  of  Alexander  Hamilton;  the  cowardly 
weakness,  inborn  vacillation,  and  unsuspected  duplicity  of  Blen- 
nerhassett,  and  the  relentless  animosity  of  such  men  as  Cheet- 
ham,  Armstrong,  Russell,  and  McRae, — Burr,  with  all  his  faults, 
shines  like  a  radiant  star  amid  such  dark  surroundings.  The 
wonder  is  that  with  such  environment,  considering  his  tempera 
ment,  losses,  and  privations,  he  was  so  good  a  man  in  so  many 
ways  as  he  is  shown  to  be." 

In  another  of  Col.  Dane's  manuscripts  I  found  the  following 
declaration  and  prophecy : 

"  Col.  Burr  assured  me  in  the  most  positive  terms  that  in  his 
scheme  for  the  conquest  of  Mexico  there  was  no  feature  in  any 
way  inimical  to  the  geographical  integrity  and  sovereignty  of  the 
United  States.  Burr  was  a  proud  man.  He  realized  that  he  had 
lost  the  confidence  of  the  people  and  was  ostracized  socially  and 
politically.  Jefferson  had  gained  great  credit  for  the  diplomatic 
tact  shown  in  gaining  possession  of  the  great  territory  of 
Louisiana  by  purchase  instead  of  a  sanguinary  war.  Burr 
wished  to  parallel  this  achievement  and  thus  regain  the  esteem 
and  favor  of  his  countrymen.  But  his  genius  was  military.  He 
relied  upon  a  great  military  coup,  the  conquest  o£  Texas  and 
Mexico.  When  subjugated,  it  was  his  intention  to  present  the 
fruits  of  his  conquest  to  the  American  Union  anticipating,  as  a 
return  for  the  gift,  popular  acclaim  and  a  restoration  of  all  his 
old  rights  and  privileges. 

"  If  Burr  had  been  allowed  to  carry  out  his  original  plan,  there 
would  have  been  no  v/ar  between  the  United  States  and  Mexico. 
If  Burr's  ideas  in  relation  to  the  abolition  of  slavery  had  been 
adopted,  there  would  have  been  no  Civil  War.  Should  a  man 
who  was  so  far-seeing,  and  whose  plan,  if  adopted,  would  have 
saved  his  country  so  many  lives  and  so  much  treasure,  be  longer 
classified  with  murderers  and  traitors?  Should  not  the  writers 
of  school-books  and  biographical  dictionaries  omit  these  words 
which  they  have  so  long  used  in  connection  with  the  name  of 


442  BLENNERHASSETT 

Aaron  Burr?  Should  not  Wirt's  celebrated  speech,  it  was  rhet 
oric  and  nothing  more,  for  it  had  no  basis  of  fact,  be  expunged 
from  our  school  reading-books? 

"  It  is  not  improbable  that  before  the  one  hundredth  anniver 
sary  of  the  duel  at  Weehawken  Heights  arrives,  that  the  friends 
of  AARON  BURR,  in  all  parts  of  the  country,  will  assist  in  erecting 
in  Newark,  New  Jersey,  the  city  of  his  birth,  some  lasting  testi 
monial  to  signify  their  appreciation  of  his  worth  as  a  patriotic 
soldier,  a  learned  lawyer,  a  far-seeing  politician,  and  a  devoted 
father." 


THE  END 


(PCYADAMJ-SAV/HR 

Mason's  Corner  Folks. 


1  The  Village  Gossips  wondered  who  he  was, 
•what  he  was,  what  he  came  for,  and  how 
loo?  he  Intended  to  stay." 


"THE  BEST  NEW 
ENGLAND STORY 
EVER  WRITTEN" 

A  SIMPLE  LOVE  TALE 

OF  COUNTRY  LIFE 
...with.,, 

A  WEALTH  OF 
NEW  ENGLAND 
VILLAGE  CHARx 
ACTER,  SCENES 
AND  INCIDENTS. 

FULL  OF  HOMELY  HUMAN 
INTEREST, 


HONEST 

EXPRESSIONS 

FROM    THE 

PRESS    OF 

AMERICA  : 
Boston  E  venlngTr«n- 
script. 

"  Bright,  fresh  and 
breezy,  an  absolutely 
true  picture  of  New 
England  life  and  char 
acter.  By  all  means 
read  QUINCY  ADAMS 
SAWYER." 

Philadelphia     Even 
ing  Telegraph. 

"It  is  as  sweetly  nat 
ural  as  the  breath  of 
the  fields.  The  good 
folks  who  move  in  its 
pages  are  real,  and 
their  honest  humor  and 
every-day  views  of  life 
are  cheerful." 

The    Living:    Church, 
Milwaukee. 

"  We  predict  the  book 
will  be  more  alive  in 
five  years  than  most 
of  the  books  of  to-day ; 
for  it  has  tenderness, 
and  has  sympathy,  and 
has  life." 

Kansas  City  Times. 

'•  It  is  a  New  England 
story t  but  it  is  so  truly 
a  human  nature  picture 
that  it  fits  anywhere  in 
the  United  States." 

New  Tork  Journal. 

"  It  is  full  of  interesting 
incidents,  quaint  say-, 
ings,  healthy  sentiment 
and  a  certain  irresistir 
ble  humor  that  makes  it 
a  book  that  will  appeal 
to  readers  who  are 
tired  of  the  conven 
tional  society  and  the 
so-called  historical 
novel." 

Nashville  American. 

"It  is  by  long  odds 
the  simplest  and  truest 
picture  of  New  England 
life  and  character  ever 
penned. " 

New  Tork  World. 

"There  is  no  story 
with  a  more  vigorous 
swing  of  homely, 
healthful  life." 


BY     CHARLES     F ELTON    PIDGIN     THE     AUTHOR    OF 

"  BLENNERHASSETT." 
BOUND  IN  CLOTH,  $J.5O  AT  ALL  BOOKSELLERS 


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This  novel  deals  with  some  of 
pur  existing  evils  ;  not  in  a  preach 
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tensity  that  makes  each  page  in 
turn  fairly  glow  with  fact,  senti 
ment,  humor,  tragedy,  love  and 
pathos,  in  so  brilliant  a  manner 
that  the  general  reader  cannot  fail 
to  be  greatly  interested. 

It  is  a  story  with  a  purpose,  but 
its  purpose  is  to  entertain  the  read 
er,  while  carrying  a  moral  which 
must  be  recognized  and  apprecia 
ted. 


The  book  takes  its  title  from  the 
nickname  of  a  strikingly  unique 
modern  feminine  character,  Stella 
Briggs,  a  country  girl,  who  figures 
prominently  in  the  story.  After 
leading  a  dissipated  career  on  the 
stage  she  marries  the  young  min 
ister  through  whose  gospel  work 
in  the  slums  of  a  great  city  she  has 
been  reclaimed. 

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